YuGiOh! Avatar: Quest for the Seventh Item
by Phantom 1
Summary: The seventh Millennium Item: what is it? What can it do? And most importantly, who has it? In their quest to solve and murder, Yugi and his friends will answer all these questions and more, whether they like it or not.
1. Mysteries Abound

Hey, everybody, well, it's been one heck of a summer, filled with toe injuries, family reunions, and summer blockbusters. But now that all of them are, in one way or another, dealt with, I'm ready to embark on the second of my three all-original storylines taking place in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar world. It will feature characters, most you already know (in one form or another), and a few new ones. This one is dedicated to BEWK, he knows why. So without further ado, let's get on with it.

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
The Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 264: Mysteries Abound.

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain pattered not gently against the old house. Everything about the house said old. Even the phone looked like something out of a past decade.

The phone that was now ringing.

The man heard it and went to answer it, "Hunter," he greeted.

"Dr. Hunter?" Came the uncertain voice.

"Miss Ishtar."

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you at this time of night, but it's very important! Do you still have the card I gave you?"

The man had a surprised look on his face (even though he knew the young woman he was talking to couldn't see it). He reached into his shirt pocket and took out the card in question, "Why yes I do, in fact I'm staring at it right now."

"I'm sorry, but I need it back."

"Of course, I'll give it to you when I get in to…"

"No!" The woman's voice shouted causing Hunter to pull the receiver away. "I'm sorry, but I need it now, it's a matter of life and death."

"Okay, Ishizu, calm down, how about we meet in front of the museum in ten minutes."

"Okay."

Hunter hung up the telephone. "She sounded very upset about something."

"Dad?"

Dr. Hunter turned and saw a young boy standing in the hallway. "Kevin, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Do you have to go to work?"

"Only for a few minutes… I hope," he added in a low tone. He bent down and put a hand on Kevin's shoulders. "Kevin, I want you to go to bed now, okay? If I'm not here when you wake up in the morning, I want you to go over to Cousin Mai's, okay?"

"Sure, Dad, but why do you think you won't be home?"

"I probably will, but in the off chance that I'm not, please go over to Cousin Mai's, okay?"

"Okay."

Dr. Hunter pulled on his rain coat and went outside.

He didn't know that he was being watched.

The rain had not let up. Dr. Hunter waited by the fountain. He saw some headlights coming towards him and turned towards them.

He realized too late that the car was moving too fast, it was moving almost with a purpose. The car nailed him in the front and actually ran him over. The car backed up and took off down the road again.

It was five minutes later before a young woman in a poncho came running up. "Am I too late?" She wondered out loud. "Have the gods already taken their revenge? No, this looks like human means." She reached into Dr. Hunter's inside pocket and took out the card that she gave him to guard. She realized that it was stuck to another card and she pocketed both. She ran over to a pay phone and dialed 911. "There is someone laying at the front of the museum, he might be dead." She quickly hung up. "I'm sorry, Dr. Hunter, but my first duty is to the protection of the Egyptian God Cards." She turned and ran off.

* * *

(6 years later)

The man slammed the desktop. "Why hasn't that imbecile Dartz contacted me yet? He said that he would inform me the moment our plan succeeded. I pulled a lot of favors to keep the government off his back, the least he could do is keep me informed." He paced up and down the office. "Maybe he can't contact me, maybe they already got to him. Which means that whoever got to him will be coming after me next. I better get prepared."

* * *

Kevin Hunter ran up the steps to the apartment he shared with his cousin. The mail was piling up and Kevin knew he should probably sort it. Most of the mail was of course addressed to Mai.

Kevin sighed; he hadn't seen Mai since their duel in America. Though he held no grudge against her (even he was aware that she was under the control of a mind-altering crystal at the time), he wished to see her again. After losing his mother and father, Mai was the only family he had left.

Kevin kicked off his shoes and carried the mail inside. Most of it was bills, there were also a few circulars and a letter from Rebecca. The two had been communicating off and on ever since the Doma Group had been defeated (though Kevin was sure it wasn't as often as she has been communicating with Yugi).

Suddenly a letter fell out of the pile. There was no postmark on it, no return address, not even a stamp.

It was addressed to him. Curious, Kevin opened the letter. Unfolding the piece of plain white paper, he noticed something falling out of it onto his lap. He gasped. "Wh… what?"

The letter was in delicate cursive.

_Your father would've wanted you to have this._

Kevin quickly ran to the phone book and looked up an address. Grabbing his backpack, which contained his Duel Disk and deck, he ran out.

* * *

"Maybe… a spear… no, that would be too cumbersome… maybe some kind of piece of jewelry…" Yugi pounded his head on his desk. "It's impossible."

_"Any luck?"_

Startled, Yugi fell back in his chair as Yami's spirit appeared behind him. _"Oh, Pharaoh, it's you."_

_"No luck, huh?"_

_"None what so ever, there have been no clues as to what the seventh Millennium Item is."_

Yami turned and stared at the three Millennium Items they gathered at Battle City: the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Rod, which were laying on the bed. _"We already have four Millennium Items, but we still need to discover and find the other three."_

_"We know that one is the Millennium Key, that's owned by Shadi."_

_"We might have to duel him for it."_

_"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Another is the Millennium Eye which Pegasus had but apparently lost."_

_"That's definitely going to be the hardest to gather."_

_"Maybe, then there's the seventh item. We don't have any clue as to what it is or what it can do."_

_"What worries me, Yugi, is who has it. Remember, both Marik and Bakura possessed a Millennium Item and those two nearly became possessed totally by them."_

_"True, whoever owns the seventh item may turn out to be like them. Then again, if there is a spirit inside the seventh Millennium Item, it might turn out to be like you."_

_"Is that a good thing?"_

Yugi pretended to think about it, then he and Yami both burst into laughter.

As Yami calmed down, he stared at the Millennium Items. _Yugi and I both know that I won't be here forever. Sooner or later, I will pass on to the other side. But I'm sure that Yugi will be all right. He has people who care about him, people who would do anything for him, and the only one who doesn't know that is Yugi himself. I think Tea… _Yami gasped, _"The museum!"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Yugi, the Egyptian exhibit where we first saw the stone tablet, it might contain a clue as to the seventh Millennium Item."_

_"Then let's go!"

* * *

_

Yugi stepped into the museum and headed to where the stone tablet was. But it was gone. In fact, all of the Egyptian artifacts that he saw when he went to the museum with Tea were gone. He finally ran over to a guy in a suit and said, "Uh… excuse me."

"Yes, what can I help you with, young man?" The man asked.

"What happened to the Egyptian exhibit?"

"I'm afraid it moved on, it wasn't' scheduled to stay here at the museum forever."

"Is Miss Ishizu Ishtar around?"

"I'm sorry, she returned to Egypt, is there something I can help you with?"

Yugi looked downtrodden, "No, sorry to disturb you. He turned and walked out. _Well that was a dead end… uh… no offense, Pharaoh."_

_"None taken, but where do we go from here?"_

_"I wish I knew. Maybe we could use the Millennium Ring or the Millennium Necklace to find the item."_

_"That might be the best course we could take."

* * *

_

Yugi arrived home. "Ah, Yugi, there you are," his Grandpa said. "I'd like you to meet the newest member of the Game Store staff."

"Hi, Yugi." Harold gave him a little wave.

"Harold? What are you doing here? Wait, are you the new employee?"

"Yup, since my stint at the arcade ended, I've been looking for a new job. Fortunately, your Grandpa was kind enough to give me a part time job."

"But we don't pay much, so how are you going to pay for food and stuff."

"That's the strange thing, as it turned out Katy and Uncle Leon had been footing my rent and utility bills. But I still need money for my tuition and food and stuff. And get this, your Grandpa said he would also pay me in Duel Monster packs."

Solomon nodded, "We always have extra packs lying around."

Yugi gave his Grandpa a dirty look, "You just don't want to pay him the full salary, don't you?"

"We don't get a whole lot of business any more unless we were to advertise that a certain King of Games buys his cards here."

"Oh no, Grandpa, please don't do that," Yugi said waving his arms around.

"Okay, Harold, for the first task, I'd like you to restock the display cases with rare cards. They're in the back." The door chime signaled. "Ah, welcome to The Game Shop, how may I help you?" Yugi and Harold also turned towards the door.

"Kevin!" They both exclaimed.

Kevin looked up, just as surprised. "Yugi, Harold?"

"So, do you two know this boy?"

"This is Kevin Hunter, we met him at Battle City."

"Hunter?" Solomon stared up at the boy, "Your father is Adam Hunter, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, the resemblance is uncanny. Your father led the expedition to the Ancient Egyptian Archives where Dr. Hawkins and I were almost sealed in forever. He was a respectable archaeologist if nothing else. It was a shame when he died."

"I was told that the owner of this Game Store was an expert on Duel Monsters, and I had a card I wanted him to check it out."

"Well you came to the right place," Solomon said. "I'm the most Duel Monsters savvy guy this side of Industrial Illusions."

"That's good," Kevin said. "I need to know if this is a real card." He took out a card and showed it to the three.

Everyone gasped, "Yugi, is that what I think it is?"

"I think so."

The card was the head of Exodia the Forbidden One (1).

* * *

"Well, Grandpa?" Yugi asked as his Grandpa studied every detail of the card with a Jeweler's scope.

"Is it a fake?" Harold also asked.

Solomon removed the scope from his eye. "If that's a fake, I'm Seto Kaiba."

"You mean it's real?" Kevin asked.

"Real and legit. My generation of Duelists had searched high and low for pieces of the Forbidden One. But nobody has been able to gather all five pieces, let alone the head. Kevin, where did you say you got this?"

"It was in this envelope. It must've been hand delivered. But by who, I don't know."

"Kevin," Harold said reading the letter. "The letter said that your father wanted you to have this. What if whoever wrote this knew what really happened to him."

Kevin's head snapped up and stared at Harold, "Do you really think so?"

"Well obviously we don't have much to go on. What do you remember about your father's death?"

"I remember my father getting a call in the middle of the night, then he told me that if he wasn't back in the morning, that I was to go to Mai's. When I woke up the next morning, he wasn't there so I went to Mai's. Then the call came in, the call that said he was hit by a car."

"Wait a minute," Harold said. "Yugi, I remember something."

"What is it, Harold?"

"When I was part of the Four Horsemen, Uncle Zigfried described a plot to stop Kaiba Corp."

* * *

"_Recently, Kaiba Corp. has come under scrutiny because it is believed that an employee was responsible for the death of a prominent archaeologist and Gozaburo is covering for him."

* * *

_

"What if the death of Dr. Hunter was done by an employee of Kaiba Corp.?"

"In that case, there's only one place we can go to." Yugi and Harold looked at each other and nodded.

Mokuba Kaiba was vice-president of Kaiba Corp. and that meant he was privy to certain information. And since he was the only one of the Kaiba Brothers who actually smiled, it seemed like a good person to go to.

"Sorry, Yugi, but I don't recall anything about a Doctor Hunter."

"What about when your step-father ran the place?"

"I don't know," Mokuba said slowly. "Look, Yugi, it's not like I don't want to help you, but when Seto took over Kaiba Corp., he asked that all files pertaining to the old Kaiba Corp. be destroyed."

"You mean there's nothing you can find out for us, Mokuba? Even the teeniest bit of info would be really helpful."

"Hold on a second." Mokuba accessed a database. "Legal records can't be erased by anyone, so if… yes, got it! Okay, back when Gozaburo was still running Kaiba Corp, an employee named Andros Hinxton was indicted for vehicular manslaughter. Gozaburo needed to send Johnson to reach a plea agreement."

"What happened to him, Mokuba?"

"Gozaburo let him go. I think he went into politics."

"Thanks, Mokuba, you've been a big help!"

"Sure."

As Mokuba hung up the phone, he was unaware that Kaiba had been listening to the conversation from outside the office.

Yugi told Harold and Kevin what he learned from Mokuba. "Okay, this guy from Kaiba Corp. named Andros Hinxton was accused of running someone over."

"You think this Hinxton guy was the one who ran over Dr. Hunter?" Harold asked.

"I'm not certain, but it's a lead worth checking out."

"Did I just hear you say Andros Hinxton?" Solomon asked walking into the kitchen where the others were.

"Grandpa, do you know him?"

"Not personally, but he's currently a Senator and there's an interview going on with him right now!"

The three boys ran into the living room. Solomon was right, on one of the news channel was a broad shouldered man with five o'clock shadow in a green sweater and black slacks. He was speaking from a library or study.

"Absolutely, Lisa," the man was saying. "It's really our fault the younger generation is so violent. We had to live with our parents beating on us and with today's advance technology, it was only inevitable. But that doesn't mean we can't do anything about it. That's why I'm sponsoring the Violent Children Protection Act, to curb the tide of violence by today's youth."

"Politicians," Harold grumbled. "They're like a cave, a big mouth with nothing inside."

"He's supposed to be running for president next year," Solomon exposited. "Some of his policies have been very controversial."

"Such as?" Kevin asked.

"Such as a decree to outlaw Duel Monsters."

"Are you serious?" Harold and Kevin asked together.

"He says that Duel Monsters are making children more violent and they need to be outlawed. In fact, that's what this interview was about."

"That guy's crazier than Pegasus drunk," Harold said dryly.

"Thanks, Harold, I didn't need that picture."

Yugi looked at the background and gasped, "Guys, look at that!" He pointed to a table that was to Senator Hinxton's right. On the table was a golden object. It had a T-shape with two trays hanging off of each side. An eye-shaped decoration was at the center.

"Yugi, that thing has the same eye-shape thing as your Millennium Puzzle!" Harold gasped.

"That's it, that's the seventh Millennium Item," Yugi muttered.

"Millennium what, you mean like that thing that sent Mai into a coma?" Kevin asked.

"It's kind of complicated," Harold said. "I'll explain later."

"You said that at Battle City."

_"So the man who might've had a hand in killing Dr. Hunter also has the seventh Millennium Item," _Yami noted. _"It's a strange coincidence."_

_"I'm not sure it is a coincidence," _Yugi replied.

"What did you say, Yugi?" Harold asked.

Yugi ran up to his room and when he came down, he had his Duel Disk and a backpack. He stuffed his Duel Disk in his backpack. "Harold, call the others."

"Yugi, are you going to duel that guy?" Harold asked.

"Yes, that scale thing is the seventh Millennium Item I've been looking for, and if we're to have any hope of unlocking the Pharaoh's memories, we're going to need all seven Millennium Items."

"I don't care about that," Kevin said. "If that guy killed my father, he has a lot to answer for."

"All right," Yugi said. _I don't know what the link is between the death of Dr. Hunter and the seventh Millennium Item, but I have a feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better._

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Exodia the Forbidden One (Exodia's Head)  
Level: 3  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 1000


	2. Introducing the Card Guards Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the 7th Item

Fanfic Chapter 265: Introducing the Card Guards Pt 1: Titan the Terrible

* * *

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Game Shop received an unexpected visitor: Kevin Hunter. He needed Grandpa's help in analyzing a card that turned out to be the head of Exodia the Forbidden One! Investigating the card led to investigating the mystery behind the death of Kevin's father, Adam Hunter. With some help from Mokuba, Yugi, Harold, and Kevin realized the strongest suspect was a man named Andros Hinxton, a former Kaiba Corp. employee and current Senator. Concidentally (or not), Hinxton also had the seventh Millennium Item, a strange scale-like item. Now both Yugi and Kevin are preparing to face Hinxton to find out the truth. But will it be that easy?

* * *

"I could be at home surfing the Internet, but no, I have to come to a rich politician's place with you guys."

"Tristan, we all know what you use the Internet for."

"Hey, a guy's gotta find a date somewhere."

Yugi and his friends stepped up to the gate of the large mansion on a hill. It was three stories and looked more like a castle complete with towers. Yugi, Joey, Harold, and Amara all brought their Duel Disks.

"Why is it that everyone we meet is either rich, possessed or both?" Joey asked.

"Just luck I guess," Amara replied.

"So how are we going to do this?" Harold asked stepping up beside Yugi and Kevin. "20 Questions or Good Cop, Bad Cop?"

"One thing's for certain," Yugi said. "I'm going to have to challenge him to a Shadow Game."

"Yugi, you can't!" Tea protested.

"I don't want to, Tea," Yugi said fiercely. "But the Pharaoh told me you can only obtain a Millennium Item in a Shadow Game. In any other circumstances short of death of the previous owner, the Millennium Item would automatically send your soul to the Shadow Realm."

"I…" Tea trailed off. _The gain of the seventh Millennium Item would mean that the Pharaoh is one step closer to regaining his memories. But every time we encountered a Shadow Game in the past, someone ends up losing their life, or worse, their soul! Am I worried that the Pharaoh… I mean Yugi… might lose his? _But Tea wondered if her slip-up was just that.

"Yugi, wait," Kevin said. "I'm going to be the one who faces Hinxton, he did something to my father, and I have to find out what."

"For all we know, Senator Hinxton had nothing to do with Dr. Hunter's death, Kevin," Yugi argued. "Let's calm down and ask him about it before we go off spouting accusations."

"Well we're not going to get any answers by just standing around here," Tristan pointed out.

"Good point," Joey said and went up to the gate. He shook the iron bears as the gate swung open. "Hey guys, it's unlocked."

"I don't like this," Amara said. "You think we were expected?"

"I don't think so," Harold said as they walked through the gate. "But why would a big wig like Hinxton be expecting us?"

* * *

Little did they know that Senator Hinxton was expecting them and was now watching them from a monitor in a study. "How fortunate, both my targets come at the same time." He turned to a group of figures standing around him. "Take your places, you know what to do when the time is right."

"Yes, sir," they said.

* * *

Two people were also watching Yugi and his friends enter the outer gate, each not knowing that the other was there.

* * *

A gravel path led from the front gate to the main house.

"I'm starting to feel like I'm in one of those horror movies," Joey said.

"You know, something about this place does give me the creeps," Amara agreed.

Yugi pressed the doorbell button on the intercom. Soon, a high-pitch voice answered, "Yes?"

Yugi shrugged at his friends before hitting the intercom's talk button. "My name is Yugi Moto, my friends and I would like to speak to Senator Hinxton please."

"Just a moment."

There was a long pause before a familiar voice came over the intercom, that of Senator Andros Hinxton. "Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise, the King of Games coming to talk to me," Hinxton said jovially. "What can I do for you, Mister Moto?"

"Um… yes, Senator Hinxton, my friends and I would like to discuss something with you. It may seem a little odd but it's really important to us."

"Well say no more, I'm always available for a chat, especially if it's from a celebrity like you." There was a click and the front door opened. "Please, enter."

"I smell a t-r-a-p," Tristan muttered.

"You sure that's not just your aftershave?" Joey jabbed.

Yugi and his friends entered the mansion. They could still hear Senator Hinxton's voice, most likely coming from a loudspeaker. "I apologize for not meeting you in person. I'm in a study on the third floor. Please take the stairs in the second room you come to off the hallway."

_"Yugi, be careful," _Yami warned. _"Something about this doesn't feel right."_

_"Right," _Yugi agreed.

They've been walking for a while before Tristan pointed out the obvious, "This hallway seems to go on forever."

"Tristan has a point," Tea agreed as Yugi spied an intercom. He turned it on, "Excuse me, Mister Hinxton, but we're in the hallway and there doesn't seem to be any room, are we any closer?"

"Oh, my apologies, Mister Moto," Hinxton replied. "I'll light a way for you, right… now!"

All of a sudden, the ground underneath them gave away and they fell into a deep hole.

"I knew this was too good to be true!" Tristan cried.

"Harold," Yugi called.

"Right," Harold said already knowing what Yugi wanted. He touched his Armlet to Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. Immediately the group was encased in an orb that was made up of the symbols of the Avatar Armlet. The orb continued to fall until it reached the ground it bounced off a far wall and finally settled at the center of the ground where it dispersed.

"Thank you, Susan, may I have some more," Tristan said woozy.

"Oh get up, you big baby," Amara said. "It wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself," Joey said. "I think I'm about to hurl." Amara pulled away from Joey's general direction.

"Is everyone all right?" Yugi asked. A chorus of affirmatives (including one very weak one) answered him. "What's going on here?"

"I believe I can answer that for you, Mister Moto." A monitor dropped down from the ceiling and Andros Hinxton appeared on it. "Welcome, my friends, to the very last Duel Monsters Tournament ever to be held."

"Let us go, you overgrown ape," Joey said. "Or I'll…"

"I would watch what I would say if I were you, young man," Hinxton warned. "After all, you are being taped." They looked above the monitor and saw a small camera.

"Taped, what for?" Amara asked.

"Evidence, evidence that Duel Monsters are corrupting the children of society."

"Great, a propaganda campaign," Tea complained.

"It's not just a propaganda campaign," Andros said. "But a means to a more productive goal, an acquisition of something you have, Mister Moto, as well as Kevin Hunter."

"I knew it," Kevin said. "You know something about my father!"

"Maybe I do, maybe if you can find me, I'll tell you what I know."

"Tell me where you are and I'll be there in a heartbeat," Kevin said.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy, Young Hunter, you'll have to find me first. But I'm a fair man, so I'll give you a little hint." A doorway in front of them opened. "You are currently on what is called Sub-Basement 3. If you can make it up to where I am, I will explain everything. But as I said before, it won't be that easy. You see, I have hired… people… who are designed to prevent you from reaching me, my Card Guards. If you can duel your way past my six Card Guards and up to where I am, I will tell you all you need to know. But just one lost, and you'll be trapped there forever."

"That means there's no room for error," Yugi realized.

"Exactly," Hinxton confirmed. "Good luck, maybe I'll see you soon." Hinxton's face disappeared from the monitor as the monitor was raised back into the ceiling.

"It's never a dull moment with us, is it?" Amara asked.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Harold replied.

"What are the chances we're not walking into a trap?" Joey asked.

"I'd say slim and none," Amara replied. "And slim's packing a suitcase."

Kevin ran forward and into the doorway.

"Kevin, be careful," Yugi called as he and the others ran after him.

* * *

They emerged from a darkened hallway into a strange chamber which looked like something out of Dante's Inferno. Strange ruins encircled a platform. Thunder could be heard from somewhere.

"Where are we?" Joey asked.

"Welcome to the lair of the Archfiends." A strange character emerged into view. He was burly and dressed in a trench coat and fedora. What was especially strange was the metal mask he wore over his eyes. His Duel Disk (if that was what it was) was unlike anything Yugi and the others have ever seen before. The tray was strapped to his arm and fanned out like halves of a spider web. The nightmarish image faded to reveal a metallic room covered in light emitters.

"And who's this joker?" Tristan asked.

"My name is Titan, first of the six Card Guards. And if you want to leave this abysmal nightmare, you'll have to duel me." Yugi noticed a camera mounted on the wall.

Kevin stepped forward, "Fine, I'll duel you."

"Wait, Kevin," Yugi said.

"Yugi, it's the only way to get to Hinxton."

"I know, but look." Yugi pointed to the camera. "See that camera? I bet Hinxton is watching us right now."

"So what?"

"So, if he sees you duel Titan, he'll know your deck and strategies and be able to counter."

"So what should I do?" Kevin asked as Titan smirked.

"Let me duel him, I can get it done quickly and Hinxton will still be unable to prepare for your deck."

"I… don't…"

"Let him do it, Kevin," Harold said. "Yugi can get the job done."

"All right," Kevin said reluctantly.

* * *

Hinxton was indeed watching, "Well, well, seems Mister Moto is smarter than he looks. Can't say I'm surprised."

* * *

Yugi stepped forward. "Tell Hinxton he won't get Kevin's secrets that easily, and I have news for you Titan, play time is over! It's time to duel!" The Millennium Puzzle flashed, filling Yugi with its energies transforming him into Yami-Yugi.

"Fine by me," Titan said. "I always wanted to see how I stacked up against the King of Games."

"You sure you're up to it," Yami-Yugi asked. "Because you might get more than you bargained for."  
"Your power intrigues me," Titan said holding out his Duel Disk. The tray spread out. "Especially that pendant you wear, I can practically taste the power."

"Believe me, Titan, this is one power you don't want. Now, let's duel!"

(Y: 4000)  
(T: 4000)

"The home team goes first," Titan said. "I summon Archfiend Soldier (1) in attack mode. "And with 1900 attack points, unless you perform a sacrifice, you can't destroy it."

"When you deal with me," Yami-Yugi said drawing a card. "Having strong monsters aren't enough, you also need skills. Observe as I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (2) in attack mode." Yugi's elven warrior appeared. "And while this guardian is out on the field, unless you have a monster with less than 1900 attack points, you can't destroy it."

"I hope Yugi knows what he's doing," Kevin said.

"Nah, he'll be fine," Joey said. "This is Yugi we're talking about, he almost never gets scared."

"But do you think it was wise to clue Titan in on how to destroy his monster?" Amara asked.

"I'm sure Yugi's aware of the risks," Tristan said.

"How enlightening of you to let me in on your plans, Yugi," Titan said. "Because I have just the card to help me deal with your obnoxious guardian: Tribute to the Doomed! Now by discarding a card, I can destroy a monster on the field and I choose your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Bandages lashed out from the ground and ensnared the guardian dragging it under ground. "And now that your field is clean, I can wage a direct attack with Archfiend Soldier!" The purple skeletal warrior charged forward and swung its jagged saber across Yami-Yugi's chest.

(Y: 2100)  
(T: 4000)

"Oh no, Yugi lost almost half his life points in one attack," Tea cried.

"This guy is good," Tristan commented.

"Okay, that caught me off guard," Yami-Yugi admitted. "But I won't let that happen again."

"But it will happen again, this face-down card will see to that." He set a card face-down. "Let's see what the King of Games can do!"

Yami-Yugi drew a card. _I can't let him attack my life points with that Soldier again. _"First I play the magic card Cure Master to raise my life points by 1000."

(Y: 3100)  
(T: 4000)

"Next I play The Warrior Returning Alive, this magic card lets me take a warrior-type monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand. So I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Finally, I set a monster in defense mode. That ends my turn."

_That monster he set must've been Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, _Titan thought._ Since its special ability prevents it from being destroyed, he must think his life points are safe from my Archfiend Soldier's attack. _He drew a card. _But with this card, he's just as vulnerable as ever! _"First I summon Vilepawn Archfiend (3) in attack mode and next I play the magic card Fairy Meteor Crush. Now my monsters can crush yours no matter what mode they're in. Archfiend Soldier, eliminate Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Once again the soldier charged forward. Just as it was about to stab its sword into the card, a golden shield appeared and pushed it back.

Mystical Elf (4) was revealed.

Yami-Yugi smirked. "You fell for my trap, Titan. I knew you thought my face-down monster was Obnoxious Celtic Guardian because you saw me bring it back to my hand. What you didn't know was that I also had Mystical Elf in my hand; that was the monster I set face-down. So not only did you equip your Soldier with a magic card that wouldn't have helped you but you wasted the attack of your strongest monster and left your weaker monster where it would be vulnerable to mine."

(Y: 3100)  
(T: 3900)

Titan cringed.

"And guess what, it's my move." Yami-Yugi drew a card. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (5) in attack mode. Now attack his Vilepawn!" The little monster made of magnets flew forward and head-butted Vilepawn Archfiend.

(Y: 3100)  
(T: 3400)

"I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Titan started his turn, "You won't take me by surprise again, Yugi Moto! I play the magic card Falling Down! This allows me to take control of one of your monsters and I choose your Mystical Elf."

Yami-Yugi's eyes narrowed as Mystical Elf floated to the other side of the field. _Why didn't he take control of my Magnet Warrior, it's clearly the more powerful of my two monsters._

"Next I'll set another card face-down and summon Cyber Archfiend (6) in defense mode. Now, Archfiend Soldier, attack his Magnet Warrior!"

"I reveal my face-down card Rush Recklessly which raises my monster's attack points temporarily by 700!"

(BMW: 1700-2400)

Archfiend Soldier was destroyed.

(Y: 3100)  
(T: 2900)

"That's Yugi for you," Tristan said. "He's outwitting his opponent."

"This duel won't last long," Joey added.

"I end my turn," Titan said glumly.

(BMW: 2400-1700)

Yami-Yugi started his turn.

"Hold on," Titan said. "The second effect of my Falling Down magic card now activates. You lose 800 life points."

(Y: 2300)  
(T: 2900)

"He must've forgotten to mention that part to Yugi," Tristan said dryly.

_Right now, I don't have anything to beat either Mystical Elf or Cyber Archfiend, I'll have to be patient. _"I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (7) in defense mode. That ends my turn."

Titan growled, "I'm through playing around with you."

"I'm sorry; you were playing around with me?"

"That's right, I've been treating you with kid gloves but no longer, you are about to feel the true power of the archfiends! First of all, Cyber Archfiend's special ability activates! Since I have no cards in my hand, I'm allowed to draw an extra card." He drew two cards. "Next I play Pot of Greed which lets me draw two more cards." He took two additional cards. "Now it's time to descend into the darkness, to touch the doors of Hell itself!"

"This guy's nuttier than my Grandma's fruitcake," Amara commented.

"First I play the magic card Terraforming which allows me to take a field magic card from my deck and add it to my hand."

"A field magic card?" Tea asked.

"It's a special type of magic card that can remain on the field," Harold explained. "Its power is available to both players even though its played by one."

"Now I play the magic card Pandemonium!" Immediately the image of the ruins they saw when they first entered the room appeared.

"I'm not scared of the darkness," Yami-Yugi said.

"Oh, you will be scared," Titan said. The slits where his eyes would be were glowing red. "You will be."

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Archfiend Soldier  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 1500

(2)  
Name: Obnoxious Celtic Guardian  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1200

(3)  
Name: Vilepawn Archfiend  
Level: 2  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1200  
DEF: 200

(4)  
Name: Mystical Elf  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 800  
DEF: 2000

(5)  
Name: Beta the Magnet Warrior  
Level: 4  
Type: Rock  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1700  
DEF: 1600

(6)  
Name: Cyber Archfiend  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 2000

(7)  
Name: Gamma the Magnet Warrior  
Level: 4  
Type: Rock  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1800


	3. Introducing the Card Guards Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the 7th Item

Fanfic Chapter 266: Introducing the Card Guards Pt 2: Pandemonium!

* * *

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi and his friends went to Senator Hinxton's home in the hills to find out what he knew about the death of Dr. Adam Hunter and hopefully obtain the seventh Millennium Item. But as it turned out, Hinxton was waiting for them. He set them up in a combination Duel Monsters tournament/Propaganda campaign. They would be used to discredit the game of Duel Monsters as a tool for corrupting children. Their only hope was to defeat the six Card Guards for their freedom and what they needed. The first Card Guard was Titan, a psycho with a metal mask and a deck filled with monsters with Archfiend in their names. Yugi stepped up to the plate first, taking on Titan with his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and his Magnet Warriors. But then Titan activated Pandemonium. What can it do? Well looks like we're about to find out.

* * *

Yugi's friends gathered around each other as the strange demonic place formed. "This place is creeping me out," Tea complained.

"Me too," Harold agreed. "And if the scenery is pretty bad, just imagine the powers contained in the actual card."

"With my Pandemonium out on the field, your doom is sealed!" Titan cried. "I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend (1) in defense mode!" The new Archfiend monster was vaguely feminine but still looked hideously demonic. "Each turn, my queen can raise the attack points of one of my monsters by 1000! So how about we power up my Cyber Archfiend!"

(CA: 1000-2000)

Titan switched his Archfiend into attack mode. "Cyber Archfiend, attack his Beta Warrior now!" The queen opened her mouth and let loose with a blast of flames which destroyed Beta.

(Y: 2000)  
(T: 2900)

"Lastly, I play Poison of the Old Man to gain back 1200 life points."

(Y: 2000)  
(T: 4100)

"Now Titan has more life points than when he started out," Kevin noted.

"Almost twice as many as Yugi," Harold added.

"That ends my turn."

(CA: 2000-1000)

Yami-Yugi drew a card.

(Y: 1200)  
(T: 4100)

"I play Premature Burial, now by giving up 800 life points, I can resurrect the monster you just destroyed."

(Y: 400)  
(T: 4100)

"Next I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (2) in attack mode."

"What can those three little pebbles do against my Archfiends?"_"_

"Nothing by them selves," Yami-Yugi replied. "But by combining them…" The three Magnet Warriors broke apart and combined into a single being. "They form Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3)! Now attack his Cyber Archfiend with Magna Blade strike!"

"I reveal one of my face-down cards Desert Sunlight which lets me switch my Cyber Archfiend to defense mode." The monster was still destroyed but Titan's life points remained unchanged.

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Too bad, Yugi could've really dealt him a blow with that last attack," Tristan commented.

"There's always next turn," Amara assured him.

"Sorry, little girl, but for Yugi there is no next turn, you see, now the effect of my Pandemonium kicks in. You see, when an Archfiend monster is sent to the graveyard, I can add a monster of the same or lower level from my deck to my hand. He showed Yami-Yugi his Desrook Archfiend (4). "But I won't even need it, because once I end my turn and Yugi starts his, my Falling Down magic card will take away the rest of his life points. I will win the duel and trap the whole lot of you down here forever."

* * *

From his study, Andros chuckled, "I warned you, Yugi, that I wouldn't hold back, this is the end of you, your friends, and the game of Duel Monsters as you know it."

* * *

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yami-Yugi said in response to Titan. Andros put on a concerned look.

"You don't have anything to say about it," Titan said. "I will take away your life points, and that pendant you wear."

"Go ahead and try," Yami-Yugi dared.

"Yugi!" His friends all gasped.

_"Pharaoh, wait a second, I don't think this is a good idea."_

_"It's okay, Yugi, even if he does win the duel there's no way he'll get the Millennium Puzzle. He's not a chosen one. The Shadow Realm would punish him as soon as he tries to take it. There's only one person from this time period worthy of the power of the Millennium Puzzle and that's you."_

Behind him, Yugi smiled, _"Thanks, Pharaoh."_

"I end my turn and this game," Titan declared.

"That's what you think," Yami-Yugi said as he drew a card. "Go, face-down cards! Life Equalizer and Dust Tornado!" A twister kicked up and destroyed the Falling Down magic card.

(Y: 3000)  
(T: 3000)

Mystical Elf floated back to Yami-Yugi's side of the field.

"What happened to my life points? I had 4100 and you only had 400 left."

"Which made conditions perfect for my trap card Life Equalizer," Yami-Yugi explained. "Now we're both given 3000 life points. In addition, my trap card Dust Tornado destroyed your Falling Down card and returned my Mystical Elf to me. So now the playing field is even. But not for long, because I'm about to take control of this duel!"

"How?"

"I'll show you, but first I'll switch Mystical Elf to attack mode."

"Bad choice, Yugi, my queen has more defense points than your elf has attack points."

"But not as many attack points as my Valkyrion. Valkyrion, attack!" The giant warrior used its sword to slash the Infernalqueen Archfiend. "Mystical Elf, attack him directly!" The elf held out her hands and fired an orb of light which blinded Titan.

(Y: 3000)  
(T: 2200)

"I end my turn."

"I knew there was nothing to worry about," Joey said while he crouched in the corner.

"Sure you did," Tea said dryly.

Titan roared furiously and drew a card. "I send Desrook Archfiend to the graveyard activating its special ability."

"You're sending it to the graveyard?" Yami-Yugi gawked.

"That's right, now I can special summon Terrorking Archfiend (5)! And thanks to Desrook's ability, I get to summon another Archfiend monster, my Archfiend General (6)! Archfiend General, attack his Mystical Elf!" The inside out demon destroyed the elf.

(Y: 1700)  
(T: 2200)

"Hang tough, Yugi, you're just one attack away from winning," Harold called.

"Somebody, tell me when it's over," Joey moaned from the corner much to the chagrin of everyone else.

"We're each just one attack away from defeat, Yugi," Titan said. "But I might be willing to make a blunder if you turn over your pendant over to me."

"I don't think so," Yugi said. "This 'pendant' as you call it is not the sort of thing you can just hand over. If you only knew the power contained within this, it would overwhelm you!"

"Now I want it all the more!" Titan licked his lips.

"This guy is power hungry," Tristan complained.

_"You would never turn over the Millennium Puzzle to him, even if we lost the duel, right, Pharaoh?"_

_"Right, Yugi." _Yami-Yugi started his turn. _The only question now is which of his two monsters should I destroy? His Archfiend General has more attack points and could prove to be a threat down the road. Then again, his Terrorking Archfiend probably has a lethal special ability that I don't know about so it might be best to destroy it. But what if he wants me to destroy it? Archfiend decks are really tricky and require long practice to master. Titan has probably mastered the cards individually but I don't think he quite knows how to perform them in combination moves, otherwise he would've finished off my life points a long time ago. _Yami-Yugi looked at the magic card he drew, Fissure. _Fissure could help me destroy his Terrorking Archfiend and then I can use Valkyrion to destroy his General. _"I play the magic card Fissure to destroy your Terrorking Archfiend."

"You activated my Archfiend's special ability!" Titan announced. A strange dial numbered 1-6 appeared behind him.

"What is this?" Yami-Yugi asked.

"A game, Yugi," Titan said mockingly. "A game of chance." Each of the numbers started to light one by one. "If the numbers 2 or 5 light up, your effect is negated!"

"Gypped," Joey cried, suddenly at the forefront of the group. "I though I was supposed to be the chance expert here!" The others sweat-dropped at that comment.

Everyone watched as the intervals between the numbers lighting up got shorter and shorter until the 2 was permanently lit up. Titan laughed, "Your magic card is negated! That's the beauty of my Archfiends. Any card effect used against them would just be stopped!"

"That's not always the case," Yami-Yugi said. "True, Archfiend monsters can negate card effects but only if the right number comes up. But just relying on luck alone isn't enough, skill is also needed." He smiled. "Along with a little heart."

"Are you listening to this, Joey?" Tristan asked.

Joey bonked his friend's head, "Does that answer your question?"

"I don't need any of that stuff," Titan said as Yami-Yugi set a card face-down. "My Archfiend deck is invincible."

"You don't know how many of my opponents have said that their decks are invincible right before I beat them."

"Then this is where your lucky streak comes to an end, Yugi Moto!" Titan drew a card. "I play Monster Reborn to revive my Infernalqueen Archfiend! Next I reveal one of my face-downs Ekibyo Drakmond, and I'll equip it to your Magna Warrior!" Four strange blue beings grabbed Valkyrion's arms and legs. "Now your ultra-powerful monster can't attack. Plus in two of your turns, your monster will be destroyed and then you'll be dealt damage equal to your monster's attack points."

"But Valkyrion is one of my most powerful monsters!"

"That means you better think of a way to win this in two turns, because then I'll unleash my strongest Archfiend monster!"

_I didn't think there was any Archfiend monster stronger than his Terrorking. And with that crap shoot special ability, my only hope is to get rid of my Magna Warrior, but how? _Yami-Yugi drew a card. "I play my own Pot of Greed, so I get to draw two extra cards. _Perfect, with these, I can take back the advantage. _"I activate Valkyrion's special ability!"

"Valkyrion has no special ability!" Titan protested.

"For a Card Guard, you don't have much knowledge on your weapons," Yami-Yugi commented. "Valkyrion does have a special ability. By sacrificing it, I can re-summon my three Magnet Warriors!" Valkyrion's body broke apart and the three magnet warriors reappeared. "Next I sacrifice Alpha and Gamma to summon Buster Blader (7)!" Yami-Yugi's large armored warrior appeared.

"You were better off with your Valkyrion."

"And you are better off being quiet," Yami-Yugi said. "Because with Buster Blader out, I can play this card: Dragonic Attack!"

"What?!"

"I'll explain," Yami-Yugi said. "Dragonic Attack can only work with a warrior-type monster like my Buster Blader, which is why I sacrificed my Valkyrion and Magnet Warriors to summon it. Buster Blader now gains 500 attack and defense points."

(BB: 2600-3100, 2300-2800)

"Buster Blader, attack his Terrorking Archfiend with Sword of Dragon Slash!" The warrior brought his sword up and leapt at the Terrorking. It brought it down and a dragon-shaped energy burst which completely consumed the Terrorking.

(Y: 1700)  
(T: 1100)

"And with that I end my turn."

_He defeated one of my most powerful Archfiends, _Titan thought. "I thought nothing could defeat it."

Yami-Yugi just smirked.

"Nice job kicking butt, Yug," Joey said.

"Way to go," Tristan threw in.

"Yes, way to go, Yugi," Titan said mockingly. "Nobody has been able to defeat my Terrorking before. But don't think this means you have won yet!" He started his turn. "I sacrifice my Terrorking to summon my Skull Archfiend of Lightning (8) in attack mode. Now attack Beta the Magnet Warrior!" The demon gathered lightning and released it in a ball which destroyed Beta.

(Y: 900)  
(T: 1100)

"Next I sacrifice my Skull Archfiend of Lightning to summon my Archfiend Dragon (9)!" The dragon was similar in appearance to the Curse of Dragon (10) except its wings were more skeletal-looking.

"But you already performed one sacrifice," Yami-Yugi protested. "You can't do another!"

"I can if I sacrifice an Archfiend monster while Pandemonium is on the field. And not only is it indestructible, but for every Archfiend monster in my graveyard, it gains 200 points."

(AD: 2000-3400)  
(BB: 3100-3600)

"What… how did your Buster Blader got stronger than my Dragon?"

"The same way your Dragon got stronger," Yami-Yugi explained. "Through a special ability, for every dragon on the field, my Buster Blader gains 500 extra attack points."

Titan cringed.

"Can you do anything more?"

"No," Titan said grudgingly.

"Good, I think I'll wrap this up right now with this…" he drew a card. "With Riryoku! This mighty magic card lets me take half the attack points from your dragon and add them to my Buster Blader!" Streams of energy flowed from the dragon to Buster Blader.

(AD: 3400-1700)  
(BB: 3600-5300)

Titan backed up in fear.

"Buster Blader, end this duel with Buster Slash attack!" The warrior ran forward and stabbed its sword into the underside of the dragon. It dragged its sword through along the dragon's undercarriage as the dragon was cleaved in half.

(Y: 900)  
(T: 0)

"Looks like that's game," Joey said.

"Honestly, Joey, where do you come up with these sayings?" Amara asked.

"The power!" Everyone turned to see Titan, on both knees, crawling towards Yami-Yugi. Yami-Yugi took a step back. But as Titan reached out to touch the Millennium Puzzle, the Puzzle let out a flash of light throwing Titan into the wall.

"I warned you," Yami-Yugi said. "The Millennium Puzzle will not accept just anyone, but only one can wield it." Little-Yugi appeared next to him. "Only the one who solved the Puzzle, one who's proven himself worthy of its power, can safely wield it. Anyone who tries to take it will be punished by the Shadow Realm."

"Nice going, Yugi," Harold said.

"Yugi, if you would have lost," Tea said concerned. "He would've won your Millennium Puzzle."

"It's like I told Yugi and him, even if he won it, he wouldn't have been able to wield it, only the one who solved the puzzle can safely wield it."

_I guess that's good to know, _Tea thought. _I'd feel pretty bad if something were to happen to the Pharaoh._

Yami-Yugi looked up, "I finished your challenge, Hinxton; now let us go."

"Well done, Mister Moto," Hinxton's voice came from the loudspeaker. "I suppose I deserved that defeat for having to challenge you, but don't celebrate just yet. There are still five more Card Guards left to battle and remember that even one failure would result in you being held down here forever." A doorway opened. "Now proceed to the chamber of the second Card Guard."

"Well, here we go, guys," Harold said. They all walked through the doorway. Tea was last, taking a parting glance at Titan. _The discovery of all seven Millennium Items will mean the Pharaoh gets his memories back, but once he does, there will be no need to stay anchored to the Millennium Puzzle, he'll leave forever. _She turned away. _I don't want that to happen._

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Infernalqueen Archfiend  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK; 900  
DEF: 1500

(2)  
Name: Alpha the Magnet Warrior  
Level: 4  
Type: Rock  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1700

(3)  
Name: Valkyrion the Magna Warrior  
Level: 8  
Type: Rock/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 3500  
DEF: 3850

(4)  
Name: Desrook Archfiend  
Level: 3  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1100  
DEF: 1800

(5)  
Name: Terrorking Archfiend  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 1500

(6)  
Name: Archfiend General  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2100  
DEF: 800

(7)  
Name: Buster Blader  
Level: 7  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 2600  
DEF: 2300

(8)  
Name: Skull Archfiend of Lightning  
Level: 6  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2500  
DEF: 1200

(9)  
Name: Archfiend Dragon  
Level: 5  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 1500  
You can Special Summon this monster by offering 1 monster with "Archfiend" in its name on your side of the field if "Pandemonium" is out on the field. This card gains 200 ATK for every monster with "Archfiend" in its name. When Pandemonium is destroyed or removed from the field, you receive damage equal to this monster's original ATK.

(10)  
Name: Curse of Dragon  
Level: 5  
Type: Dragon  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 1500


	4. Gears of War Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 267: Gears of War Pt 1: The Unscrupulous Mr. Crowler

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! With Pandemonium and his army of Archfiend monsters, Titan was dominating Yami-Yugi in their duel. But Yami-Yugi was dueling by experience, not ambition. When Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, one of Yami-Yugi's strongest monsters, was immobilized, it looked like Titan would prove undefeatable and they would be left to rot in a subbasement while Hinxton finishes his "crusade" (for lack of a better term) to stomp out Duel Monsters forever. But Titan's inability to fully understand the cards of his opponent was his downfall and Yami-Yugi finished the battle using Buster Blader and Riryoku. But you know what the oddest thing about that whole experience was? That Tea, for some reason, is apprehensive about Yugi gaining the seventh Millennium Item. What's her deal?

* * *

The gang had just left the first chamber where Titan was. Now they were going down a long dark hallway.

"Just how big is this place anyway?" Tristan asked.

"I read on the Internet that this actually used to be a missile silo and that Hinxton renovated it when he came here," Amara said.

"You think that's true?" Kevin asked.

"I read it on the Internet so it must be true."

"You doing all right, Yugi, that duel looked like a tough one," Harold noted. Yugi was breathing a little heavily ever since they left Titan's chamber.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yugi replied. "I've had some really tough duels but that one was lukewarm."

"Well take five, bud," Joey said. "Because we can handle the rest of these Crap Guards."

"Card Guards, Joey," Yugi corrected him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't forget, I'm not exactly the novice I was at Duelist Kingdom."

"That's right," Tristan agreed. "Before he was an immature goofball, now he's a professional goofball."

"I'll show you who's a goofball," Joey said trying to grab Tristan's cheeks and spread them as far as they would go.

"I'd like to see you try," Tristan said returning the favor.

"If you ask me, they're both goofballs," Tea said to the others. "I don't see how Serenity can stand them."

"She tells me that having lived with Joey for such a long time, she's used to it," Harold said conversely.

Joey and Tristan stopped their strange wrestling match and stared at Harold. "And when did she tell you?" They asked at the same time.

Harold blushed, "Come on, you guys know perfectly well I gave her my address after Battle City. She and I have been talking off and on ever since."

"We seriously need to get you a computer," Tea said. "Snail mail is like Rex Raptor: a dinosaur."

"There's not a chance he'll get a kiss from Serenity before I do," Tristan said and started to storm up to Harold, only thing holding him back are Joey, Kevin, Amara, and Tea.

* * *

Though he couldn't see them, Hinxton could hear them through the speakers in the hallway from his study. "I have to admit, I was worried but it seems that Mister Moto is the only smart one of the group. The rest will be easy pickings."

* * *

"Hey look, there's a light at the end of this tunnel," Joey said.

"Real corny, Joe," Amara commented. They went through the lighted doorway and had to rub their eyes to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light.

"It's… a school room?" Tea asked.

It indeed looked like a classroom, with wooden desks with chairs attached to them. The teacher's desk was also made of wood and was facing the set of about twenty students' desks. There was a green blackboard and small cubby holes where coats could be hung up.

"I thought Hinxton was a senator, not a principal," Tristan commented.

"Welcome, my students." The high-back chair swerved to reveal someone. The person had blond hair pulled back in a pony tail and beady brown eyes. He was dressed in a purple jacket over a white bloused shirt and purple slacks. His Duel Disk was styled similar to the ones Yugi and the others used except it was white. "It's time for your first lesson! Please take a seat." The kids looked at each other confused. "I SAID SIT!" The grownup commanded like he was speaking to a dog.

"I think we should sit down for now, we don't know what he's capable of," Yugi whispered to the others. Carefully, they all took a seat by the desks.

"Who are you?" Harold asked.

"Silence! Raise your hands before you ask a question!"

"Me thinks this weirdo's about twelve doughnuts short of a dozen," Amara whispered to Tristan.

Yugi raised his hand, "Um… who are you?"

"My name is Vellian Crowler, graduate of Ivy League, two Ph.D's, and the second of the six Card Guards."

"Great, so who wants to duel this time?" Harold asked.

"I'll do it," Kevin said.

"Wait, Kevin, I bet Hinxton is still watching, he still wants the secrets of your deck," Tea pointed out.

"He probably already knows about Yugi's deck too," Harold said.

"One side, boys and girls," Joey said. "Joey Wheeler will clobber this Card Guard."

"Are you serious?" Kevin asked.

"Look, kid, I've been in Duel Monster Tournaments longer than you have, I can handle this Card Guard."

Crowler slammed a ruler on his desk. "If you wish to duel me, you must first raise your hand."

Joey sighed, "Man, this was supposed to be my day off from school," he moaned. He then raised his hand.

"Very well, then, time to school you."

* * *

Hinxton moaned and held his head in his hand, "That's what I get for hiring grad school students."

* * *

The desks were cleared so that there was space to duel. Yugi and the others still had to set up their desks.

"Now, are there any questions you'd like to ask before we begin this test?"

"Actually, there was something I was wondering."

Crowler looked irritated, "And that is?"

Joey leveled a finger at Crowler, "Are you a man or a woman?"

Crowler face-faulted.

"Actually, I've been wondering that myself," Harold agreed.

"Same here," Tristan threw in.

"I'm a man, for your information." He made a point of studying his hand like a woman examining her nails. "I just happen to be more sophisticated than you riff raff."

"Go ahead and throw out your twenty dollar words, I'll make you eat them," Joey said.

"Fine, then let's go." Crowler's Duel Disk, which was like the others except it was white, activated. So did Joey's.

"Let's duel!"

(C: 4000)  
(J: 4000)

"I'll go first," Crowler said and drew a card. "I summon my Ancient Gear Soldier (1) in attack mode." The monster looked vaguely humanoid but you could see stone cogs inside it. It had a gun for an arm. "I'll also set a card face-down. Here's your first problem, soon to be one of many."

"Man, why do I get all the machine Duelists?" Joey complained. He took a new card. "All right, time to show Mister Metrosexual how we experts duel. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (2) in attack mode." Joey's black-armored knight with a lance for an arm appeared. "Now, Gearfried, attack his Gear Soldier!"

"Silly little boy, I played a trap card," Crowler said as his face-down was revealed. "Rare Metalmorph, this trap card increases my Ancient Gear Soldier's attack points by 500!"

(AGS: 1300-1800)

_I can't let him get the better of me! _"I play the magic card Graceful Dice!"

"Sorry, but Rare Metalmorph negates magic cards and destroys them!" Joey's dice was destroyed. "Which means our two monsters' attack strength are equal so they'll both be destroyed." Sure enough, Gearfried stabbed its lance into Ancient Gear Soldier's exposed innards while Ancient Gear Soldier fired its gun.

Joey growled, hating to see his monster being destroyed like that, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Crowler drew a card, "I summon another Ancient Gear Soldier, now attack!"

Joey backed up in horror, then motioned to his face-down card, "Face-down card activate," he commanded. Nothing happened. "Trap card, go!" Still nothing happened. "Hello, trap card, that's your cue to activate."

"I'm sorry, did I forget to mention?" Crowler asked mockingly. "My Ancient Gear Soldier has a special ability. When it attacks, you can't activate any magic or trap cards."

"Ah crap," Joey said as the attack struck him.

(C: 4000)  
(J: 2700)

"If that's how you professionals duel, then the world of dueling has really deteriorated over the years."

"Just make your move, wise gal."

"I'm a guy!"

"Sure you are."

"I end my turn."

Joey drew a card. "Okay, time to bring out the heavy hitters. I summon Goblin Attack Force (3) in attack mode. Now attack his Gear Soldier!" The goblins leapt onto the Ancient Gear Soldier and clobbered it to pieces.

(C: 3000)  
(J: 2700)

"I think I'll end it at that."

"And here I thought I had something to worry about. But it appears that your Duel Monster victories were either the results of forfeits or pure luck. Only someone of sophisticated intelligence can truly turn the tide in a duel."

"So then why are you here?" Joey cracked.

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU MISERABLE LITTLE RIFF RAFF!" Crowler grabbed a card. "I play Ancient Gear Workshop to bring back my Ancient Gear Soldier to my hand and I'll summon it in attack mode, now rid the field of those barbarians!" The soldier fired a barrage which destroyed the goblins. Fortunately, since Goblin Attack Force's special ability shifted it into defense mode after its attack, Joey's life points were spared. "That ends my turn. I'll tell you what, boy, I'm a sporting individual so I'll give you a hint, you'll never beat me by luck.'

"Luck has gotten me out of a few jams in the past," Joey argued.

"That may be, but it'll take more than luck to beat me."

Joey cringed as he remembered something Yugi said during his duel with Titan.

* * *

"_Your magic card is negated! That's the beauty of my Archfiends. Any card effect used against them would just be stopped!"_

* * *

_He's right, I can't rely on my luck, but… my skills aren't nearly as good as Yugi's… or even Kaiba's for that matter (God I hope Kaiba doesn't hear that). Wait, he said luck alone! That means…_

"Are you going to move or are you going to stand there all day?"

"Oh, I was thinking of dragging this duel out for another week, maybe taking time off for a snack." Joey could see smoke coming literally out of Crowler's ears. "Sheesh, I was only kidding, don't get your blush all messed up."

"It's not blush, its rouge!" Crowler snapped then clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Okay, that was more than I ever needed to know." He drew a card. "I summon Swordsman of Landstar (4) in attack mode and next I play the magic card Shield and Sword. Shield and Sword switches our monsters' attack points with our defense points."

"A lot of good that'll do you, my Ancient Gear Soldier has just as many defense points as it does attack points so your magic card won't affect me at all."

(SL: 500-1200, 1200-500)

"I figured as much," Joey said. "Go, trap card: Skull Dice!"

"No, not Skull Dice!" Crowler screamed.

"That's right, you said it yourself that your soldier can only negate magic or trap cards when it attacks. But since its just standing there like the pile of scrap that it is, its special effect doesn't apply." The gremlin threw a red die which came up on a two. "A two, perfect, that means your monster's attack points will be cut in half!"

(AGS: 1300-650)

"Go for it, Swordsman of Landstar, get that gear!" The little warrior stabbed its sword through Ancient Gear Soldier and destroyed it.

(C: 2450)  
(J: 2700)

"Now I'll set this to keep you guessing and call it a turn."

"Miserable little upstart, how dare your lowly monster touch me."

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, Cocoa."

"It's Crowler!"

"Whatever, I'd watch what I say, who knows, some day a lowly monster may do you in."

"Like that'll ever happen."

(SL: 1200-500, 500-1200)

Crowler drew a card, "I play Pot of Greed so I draw two extra cards, next I summon Ancient Gear (5) in attack mode and play Machine Duplication allowing me to summon two more Ancient Gears from my deck. I then play Ancient Gear Tank!" One of the Ancient Gears appeared sitting on the handlebars of a strange one-wheel contraption with a gun barrel. "This tank raises my Gear's attack points by 600!"

(AG: 100-700)

"Now attack his Swordsman of Landstar!" The tank fired a blast which blew the warrior back destroying it.

(C: 2450)  
(J: 2500)

"Next I play Ancient Gear Explosive on my tank equipped Ancient Gear to destroy it!"

"But that was your strongest monster."

"Ah, but that's the beauty of my two magic cards. You see, when Ancient Gear Explosive destroys an Ancient Gear Monster, half of the destroyed monster's attack points get taken away from your life points." Joey covered his face from the explosion.

(C: 2450)  
(J: 2450)

"So, we're even now."

"Not quite, you see when my Ancient Gear Tank is destroyed, you lose 600 life points."

(C: 2450)  
(J: 1850)

"Finally I play Poison of the Old Man to take back 1200 life points."

(C: 3650)  
(J: 1850)

"That's how it should be, me with twice as many life points and more monsters than you. Not to mention horrifyingly good-looking."

"I'll agree with you on half of that," Joey said drawing a card. "I play my own Pot of Greed so now I get two extra cards. Next up is Reinforcements of the Army so I get a monster from my deck to my hand, as long as it's a warrior-type."

"My goodness, I'm surprised you know the specifics of a card, it's almost like you've been studying," Crowler said mockingly.

"Don't act so high and mighty, fruit cake," Joey said taking a card out of his deck and placing the deck back in the Duel Disk. "After battling the likes of Dartz and Zigfried, you're just a smudge on my sneaker."

"He does realize that Yugi was the one who battled Dartz and Kaiba and Harold battled Zigfried, right?" Tea asked Tristan.

"Joey sure loves his fantasies," Tristan said kicking his feet up on the desk in front of him.

* * *

Hinxton slammed his hands on his desk. "WHAT?! YUGI MOTO WAS THE ONE WHO TOOK DOWN DARTZ?" _It's him, he's the reason my investments in the Doma Group never took off! That's the final straw. _Hinxton got up and paced around his office. Finally, he sat down and chuckled. _Now I have all the incentives I need. Soon, I will be in the most powerful position in the land and those who had stood in my way in the past, especially Yugi Moto and Kevin Hunter, will fall in more ways than one._ His laugh was almost otherworldly.

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Ancient Gear Soldier  
Level: 4  
Type: Machine/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1300  
DEF: 1300

(2)  
Name: Gearfried the Iron Knight  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 1600

(3)  
Name: Goblin Attack Force  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 0

(4)  
Name: Swordsman of Landstar  
Level: 3  
Type: Warrior  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 500  
DEF: 1200

(5)  
Name: Ancient Gear  
Level: 2  
Type: Machine/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 100  
DEF: 800


	5. Gears of War Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 268: Gears of War Pt 2: Short-Circuit

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi was a little fatigued from his duel against Titan the Card Guard so Joey and the others decided to take up the cause. The next Card Guard was named Crowler, a rather snooty school-master-like person with a deck of "Ancient Gear" monsters and a self-righteous attitude that made you just want to slap him around the planet a couple of times. Joey's gamble cards barely worked against monsters that were immune to magic and trap cards. When Hinxton learned that it was Yugi and his friends who defeated Dartz, he was for some reason really upset. Watch out, because the next part of the duel will be like pulling teeth.

* * *

"I think it's time to sweep you rats out of my clean classroom."

"God help whoever ends up in your class."

"I'll have you know I'm a doctor."

"Yeah, well so was Hannibal."

"Are you saying I'm a savage?"

"Hey, you said it not me."

"Are they going to duel or just keep insulting each other all day?" Tea asked.

"That Hannibal one was pretty good," Harold observed.

"Don't encourage them," Amara said.

"I better get ready to take over if Joey loses," Yugi says.

"Gee, thanks for the confidence booster, Yug," Joey said sarcastically. "Don't worry, man, I know I can be rather stupid at times but I've always come through when the chips are down, especially if I know you guys have faith in me."

"No talking in class," Crowler snapped.

"You zip it, metro-psycho," Joey snapped. "Yugi, please, I need you to have faith in me, I can do this. I've taken on worse people than this psycho, please, just believe in me."

Yugi nodded, "I do believe in you, Joey."

"And so do I," Tea agreed. The others nodded.

"Thanks, guys." Joey turned to Crowler, "All right, you girly-man, time for you to roll up those sleeves and get dirty! I summon Hayabusa Knight (1) in attack mode!"

(C: 3650)  
(J: 1850)

"And what can that scrawny little ruffian do?"

"He can attack twice, that's what." Crowler let out a girly scream. "Show him, knight, Double-Attack!" The humanoid bird charged forward and destroyed the two remaining Ancient Gears.

(C: 1850)  
(J: 1850)

"How's that for bringing you down to my level."

"I can't believe an elitist like me was cut down by a scrawny slacker!"

"This slacker was one of the Battle City Four and the runner-up at Duelist Kingdom, so don't mock us in the future. Otherwise, it may come back to bite you in the…"

"Joey," Amara called. "Do you have any more moves you can make?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me, Amara. I play the magic card Cure Master so I get a 1000 point boost thank you very much."

(C: 1850)  
(J: 2850)

Crowler was visibly steamed. "How dare you take the lead away from me!"

"How, because… um… well I guess I'm a daring guy."

_I can't let this riff raff get the best of me, I am better than him and I will succeed! _Crowler drew a card, "I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (2) in defense mode and end my turn."

Joey breathed a sigh of relief. _That last move of mine gave me a little breathing room, so I better take it and think of a way to finish this guy off. _He drew a card. "I summon Little-Winguard (3) in defense mode and that's it."

_He must be planning on sacrificing them to summon a stronger monster. I need to get my strongest monster out now! _Crowler drew a card and let out a triumphant laugh. "Finally, now I have the card I need to bring out my most powerful monster!"

"That ain't good," Joey said.

"Au contraire, my little monkey, this card allows me to summon a strong monster without even making a sacrifice! It's a magic card called Ancient Gear Factory."

"A factory?"

"That's right, and with it, all I need to do is remove monsters in my graveyard from play and I can summon it right to the field."

"Oh no!"

"However, because I don't have the monster I need, I won't play it. But I assure you, once I do, the duel is mine."

_Is this guy bluffing? Doesn't look like he is, I better be ready for anything._

"But there is something else I can do. I switch Gear Golem the Moving Fortress to attack mode, and I pay 800 life points to have it attack your life points directly."

(C: 1050)  
(J: 2850)

The spiky machine flew over Hayabusa Knight and Little-Winguard and landed right on Joey.

The others winced. "That had to hurt," Tristan said voicing all their thoughts.

(C: 1050)  
(J: 2050)

"I'll end my turn there."

_He didn't leave anything to protect his Gear Golem, I have to take this chance_. Joey drew a card, "Little-Winguard, attack his Golem!" The dragon-back warrior flew into the air and swung his sword creating a crescent of energy which destroyed Gear Golem.

(C: 450)  
(J: 2050)

_I'm almost there, just one more attack and I have him beat. _"I'll set a face-down and end my turn."

Crowler calmly drew a card. "It's time to meet my most powerful monster."

"But how, you have nothing to sacrifice."

"How soon we forget. I play Ancient Gear Factory! So I remove my Ancient Gear Soldier and two Ancient Gears to call forth, the mighty, the incredible, the unbeatable, Ancient Gear Golem (4)!" The room around them started to shake.

In fact, the entire house started shaking. Hinxton grabbed his desk, "Darn it, I told that primped pretty-boy not to summon that monster!"

A strange monster started to rise. It looked humanoid but you could see stone-gray cogs turning inside the monster. "Now, my Ancient Gear Golem, attack young Joseph's Hayabusa Knight. Mechanized Melee!" The cogs started to turn.

Joey desperately pressed the activation button on his face-down card but nothing happened. _What's going on here, is my Duel Disk broken again? Wait a second, what did he say before?_

_"I'm sorry, did I forget to mention?" Crowler asked mockingly. "My Ancient Gear Soldier has a special ability. When it attacks, you can't activate any magic or trap cards."_

_His Golem must have the same ability as his Soldier. Oh crap, this is gonna hurt._

The Ancient Gear Golem drew back its fist and let loose clobbering the knight. The knight broke apart just before it hit Joey.

(C: 450)  
(J: 50)

"Joey," Yugi cried getting out of his desk.

"Stay where you are," Crowler commanded. "Any attempt to leave your seat will automatically result in a forfeit."

"That's bull…" Kevin's comment was stopped by Amara's hand covering his mouth.

_"Pharaoh, can Joey do anything to beat that Golem?" _Little-Yugi asked.

_"I'm not sure. Very few monsters have more than 3000 attack points so Joey's best bet is to use a combo," _Yami analyzed crossing his hands.

_"But how can Joey do that with one card on the field?"_

_"He can't beat it, but he might be able to stall."_

"Come on, Joey, hang in there," Tea called.

"We're right behind you, man," Tristan added.

_Wow, I haven't faced this powerful of a monster since I duked it out with Kaiba at Battle City. I know I was able to beat his best monster, why can't I beat the monster of a flamboyant playboy who probably spends more time primping himself in a mirror than playing Duel Monsters? Okay, Joey, think about this. His monster has 3000 attack points, so does Kaiba's dragons. I was able to beat that by taking control of one of his magic cards with my Graverobber trap card. Which magic cards did Crowler have? The only magic cards that might be able to work for me are Pot of Greed and Poison of the Old Man. The problem is… _Joey looked down at the card he drew, Scapegoat. _I don't have my Graverobber card! _Joey swore in his mind. _What was I thinking, challenging this primadonna? We can't even lose one duel or we'll be trapped here forever. I should've let one of the others handle this._

"Joey, believe in your self!" Yugi called. "Believe in your cards, you've won duels using them before and you can do so again, use your experience."

"Joey and experience, I never thought I would see those two connect in some way," Tristan commented.

"BE SILENT, ALL OF YOU!" Crowler snapped. He picked up a ruler and threw it directly at Yugi's head. Yugi screamed.

A ring of archaic symbols appeared in front of Yugi and the ruler bounced off of it. Kicking his legs up on the back of Tea's chair, Harold gave Joey a thumb up, "Don't worry, Joey, even if you lose we still got your back, and we got other ways of getting out of here."

"Impossible!" Crowler gasped.

Hinxton snorted, "He's bluffing."

"You're bluffing!" Crowler cried.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not, you have no way of knowing the power at our disposal, including this guy's power to triumph over any opponent."

Crowler's legs wobbled.

"Thanks, guys," Joey said. He looked at Crowler with a look at confidence. "Okay, let's get back to the duel! I'll start by activating my trap card Spirit Barrier, now as long as I have monsters out, my life points stay right where they are. But just to be on the safe side, I'll switch my Winguard to defense mode and set a card face-down. That ends my turn."

_This Slacker thinks he's better than me, well I'll teach him that a student should respect his teacher. _"My draw!" He drew a card.

"I activate my face-down card Scapegoat!" Joey cried motioning to his card. Four sheep of different colors appeared.

Crowler recoiled but then started laughing, "You fool! You made one important error!"

Joey picked his ear, "Not bringing ear plugs to drown out that high-pitch laughter?"

"No, you simpleton, that when my Ancient Gear Golem attacks, you can't use any magic or trap cards! Plus even if your monster is in defense mode, he can still affect your life points! Ancient Gear Golem, end this duel! Mechanized Melee!" The Golem drew back its fist and slugged one of the Scapegoats. Joey's body started to glow white.

His life points didn't change.

"Check your gear, your life points haven't gone down," Crowler said annoyed.

"My gear's just fine," Joey smirked. "Your Golem prevents magic and trap cards from being activated, but since I activated my cards before your attack, their effects still applied." Crowler's eyes widened. "I'll put it in terms even you can understand. Your Golem can't stop cards from activating if they're already activated. Sorry, Charlie, but it looks like you're out of luck."

_Maybe not, _Crowler thought. _I have in my deck the magic card Heavy Storm, all I have to do is keep destroying his monsters until I draw it and then I can destroy his Spirit Barrier and deliver the final blow to him. _"I end my turn."

_Joey, there's only one monster that can help you now, _Joey thought. _You just need to hold on until you draw it. _Joey drew a card. "I play Monster Reborn to resurrect Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Crowler drew the magic card Machine Conversion Factory. _This won't help me. _"Ancient Gear Golem, pound that Scapegoat!" Another of Joey's Scapegoats was destroyed.

_I'm running out of time, _Joey thought as he drew a card. "I summon my Battle Warrior (5) in defense mode. Go!"

"Students are not supposed to order their teacher around," Crowler said drawing a card. _Still not what I need. _"I summon Ancient Gear Guardna (6) in defense mode. End turn."

_Let's see, Little-Winguard, check. Battle Warrior, check. Gearfried, check. Okay, the field is set up, now I just need… _Joey drew a card, Polymerization. _Not what I was hoping for. _"I end my turn."

Crowler started his turn. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

_This is it, my last chance, if I don't draw the monster I need now, we're all done for. Come on, heart of the cards, if there was ever a time I need you, now is it. _He drew a card and his face lit up. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Crowler asked.

_"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" _Yami asked.

Yugi nodded, _"He sure is."_

"I sacrifice Little-Winguard, Battle Warrior, and Gearfried the Iron Knight to summon Gilford the Lightning (7)!" A large human monster in silver armor carrying a large sword appeared.

"You sacrificed three monsters just to summon a monster with 2800 attack points? It's 200 points short of my Ancient Gear Golem! How dare you waste my time summoning such a weakling!"

"Don't you ever shut up?" Joey asked.

"What?"

"I swear, it's a good thing not all teachers are as gabby as you or else I might drop out."

"Watch your mouth, young man."

"You see, nimrod, since I sacrificed three monsters to summon Gilford instead of two, his special ability activates destroying all monsters on the field!"

"No, not my Ancient Gear Golem."

"Sayonara, Eyesore!" Joey said doing a two-finger salute and pointing at the Golem.

Lightning danced across Gilford's sword. Gear Golem and Guardna were both destroyed.

"It can't be," Crowler cried. "He was my very best monster! How can it be defeated by some kind of barbarian?"

"Watch it, Kiki, Gilford's still on the field and he hasn't attacked yet."

"Are… are… are you going to attack me?" Crowler asked nervously.

"Well, I was thinking about ending my turn."

"WHAT?" Everyone asked.

"Just kidding," Joey said. "Gilford, finish it off!" Gilford leapt up into the sky and came down hard on Crowler.

(C: 0)  
(J: 50)

Joey wiped his forehead, "Phew, made it with fifty points to spare."

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you, Joey?" Tristan asked as the others got out of their desks.

"Hey you know me, I just love living life on the edge."

"How… how could I have been beaten by such a simpleton?" Crowler stammered. "I have the most ingenious and sophisticated mind this side of the ocean. Why did I lose?"

"I'll tell you, Mary Sunshine," Joey said. "There are some things you can't learn in school, some things that only experience can teach you."

"But… but you're too simple to have experience."

"Well maybe you didn't hear my resume," Joey said. "I was runner-up at Duelist Kingdom, I was one of the Battle City Final Four, I even went up against the best of the best at the KC Grand Tournament. I've faced down the likes of Yugi, Marik, and Kaiba not to mention more than my fair share of cheaters."

"And you're proud of that?"

"Sure am, because each duel, whether it be win or loss, makes me grow stronger. I may not be the next King of Games, but I'm definitely going to be one of the best in the future."

The blackboard behind Crowler slid open like a garage door to reveal an elevator. Hinxton's voice came from a loudspeaker, "Congratulations, you may ascend the elevator up to Sub-Basement 2 where the next Card Guard awaits."

"Looks like we're in this for the long haul, guys," Harold said as they entered the elevator.

"At least we're in it together," Tea said.

_And I know that once we get to Hinxton, we'll find out what he really did to my father, _Kevin thought.

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Hayabusa Knight  
Level: 3  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 700

(2)  
Name: Gear Golem the Moving Fortress  
Level: 4  
Type: Machine/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 800  
DEF: 2200

(3)  
Name: Little-Winguard  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1800

(4)  
Name: Ancient Gear Golem  
Level: 8  
Type: Machine/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 3000  
DEF: 3000

(5)  
Name: Battle Warrior  
Level: 2  
Type: Warrior  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 700  
DEF: 1000

(6)  
Name: Ancient Gear Guardna  
Level: 4  
Type: Machine/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 400  
DEF: 2500  
Only once, if this monster is attacked while in face-down defense position, negate and destroy one spell or trap card on the field. After this effect resolves, flip this monster face-up. If this monster is attacked while in face-up defense position, shift it into attack mode at the end of the damage step.

(7)  
Name: Gilford the Lightning  
Level: 8  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2800  
DEF: 1400


	6. Harold's Adventure in Dark World Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar 

The Quest for the Seventh Item  
Fanfic Chapter 269: Harold's Adventure in Dark World Pt 1: A New Old Friend

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Joey and Crowler traded verbal and monster jabs. When Crowler brought out his Ancient Gear Golem, it looked like curtains for Joey. Ancient Gear Golem had 3000 attack points and the ability to negate magic and trap cards. None of Joey's monsters could stand up to that type of firepower. But experience and heart… as well as help from a certain super-powered warrior-type monster… enabled Joey to beat the creepy Crowler and move the gang up to Sub-Basement #2.

* * *

"Tristan, your elbow's digging into my hip." 

"Amara, your hip is digging into my elbow."

"I can't feel my legs."

"That's because those are my legs."

"What was Hinxton thinking putting in such a small elevator?" Joey asked.

"I don't think he was counting on so many visitors in one day," Kevin replied.

"Well all I know is that somebody doesn't know how to use deodorant," Tea complained. The gang had been riding up the elevator for a few minutes after Joey defeated Crowler.

"Hey Yugi, do you get the feeling that we're forgetting something… or someone?"

"What are you talking about, Harold?"

"I don't know, I just can't help but get this odd feeling that we're forgetting someone."

"My Grandpa? No, he chose to stay behind."

"Maybe it's something else," Harold said. "Oh well, I'm sure it will…"

All of a sudden the elevator stopped. The doors opened and everyone tumbled out. "Is everyone all right?" She looked around and counted herself, Joey, Tristan, Harold, Amara, and Kevin, but… "Where's Yugi?"

"Uh… Tea?" Amara pointed downward. Tea looked down.

She was sitting on Yugi's head. "Oh, Yugi!" Tea helped him up. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"I think the ground did that more than you did, Tea," Yugi said turning away so Tea wouldn't see his red cheeks. Tea tilted her head in confusion.  
"Hey, where are we?" Joey asked. The elevator doors closed behind them bathing them in darkness. "Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Someone find a light switch."

"Found it!"

"Tristan, that's not a light switch."

"Oh, sorry, Amara."

"I'd hit you but I can't even find you."

"Hey Hinxton, how about throwing on some lights," Joey called. And just like that, a row of fluorescent bulbs illuminated the room. "What do you know, he heard me."

"Actually, Hun, that was me," a voice said. A new figure stepped into the light. It was a woman with dark skin and dreadlocks pulled back from her head by a headband. Her black tube top was topped off by an orange polar vest (but in the darkness it looked like she was just wearing the vest, dark violet skirt and high heels. Her Duel Disk was of the same design as Yugi and the others but the color scheme was black with gold trim around the life point counter and the monster tray. "Welcome, boys and girls, to Dark World."

"So I'm guessing this is one of the Card Guards Hinxton introduced us to," Joey said.

Harold stepped forward. "Harold, what are you doing?" Tea asked.

"She looks familiar somehow," Harold muttered.

The woman saw Harold step into the light and inhaled sharply, "Well, well, look at you, I must say you've become quite the good-looking young man."

"You know him?" Tea asked giving her a dirty glance.

She chuckled, "I knew him since he and his sister were still in training pants."

"Too much information," Tristan muttered.

Harold took a closer look at her then he suddenly remembered something.

* * *

_When Harold's vision cleared, he was back in the lobby of the mansion. Himself and Katy were standing like soldiers along with Todd and a dark-skinned woman with dreads. In front of them was 'Z,' who was definitely older than he was at the funeral. "We must hit them secretly and strategically. You four have been chosen to spearhead this campaign. As Kaiba Corp.'s end is being heralded by you, you shall be known as… The Four Horsemen!"_

_A flash of light revealed a construction building. A sign on the fence read 'THIS SIGHT SOON TO BE A KAIBA CORP. FACILITY.' Suddenly the building started crumbling. His younger self and the woman with dreads were shown escaping.

* * *

_

"I remember you now! You were one of the original members of the Four Horsemen! I think your name was… Foley? No, wait…"

"You were close, Sugar," she said. "The name's Jawhara Faley, but you can just call me Faley."

"Wait, Harold, you mean she's part of your past?" Kevin asked.

"Oh yeah, some parts of my memory is still a little fuzzy, but I remember Uncle Zigfried first formed the Four Horsemen consisting of me, Katy, Todd, and her. What was your deal in this matter?"

Faley shrugged, "It's just a job. I don't have anything against you or your friends, but Hinxton was looking for help and I was looking for work. You see, I'm a mercenary."

"A mercenary?" The kids all asked.

"Yup, a Duelist for hire, in fact all of the Card Guards are dueling mercenaries. We're just in it for the money."

"You have to let us pass," Kevin said. "Hinxton might know who killed my father! He might even be the one!"

* * *

In his study, Hinxton chuckled, "Oh, my young Hunter, if you only knew, if you only knew the truth." He slid his hand along the shaft of the scale.

* * *

"I feel for you, kiddo, I really do, but a job's a job." 

Kevin was about to protest but Harold stepped forward, "Fine then," he said calmly. "In that case, I'll duel you."

For the first time, Faley regarded him with a serious look. "You sure you want to do that, Hun, my Dark World deck can be brutal. Heck, one kid I dueled even got nightmares for a month."

"Nightmares for a month," Joey and Tristan said clutching each other. Joey specifically said, "You have to be pulling our leg."

"Serious as cancer, Sugar."

"I'm sure," Harold said in response to Faley's question. "Besides, this might be the perfect match-up for me, a deck of darkness versus a deck of light."

"So you're the light master," Faley said. "You're quite the talk in the dueling circle, a master of light attribute monsters. Who would've thought I would personally know the master of light monsters? Well this is going to be fun." The two stood each under a light. "You ready to go, Cutie?"

"Huh? You mean me?"

"Of course, you're the cutest guy in this room."

"Ouch, that hurts," Joey and Tristan said at the same time.

Harold activated his Duel Disk and inserted his deck. "Time to duel!"

(H: 4000)  
(F: 4000)

* * *

"I hope Faley doesn't let her past relationship with the boy prevent her from winning the duel."

* * *

"Tell you what, Hun, for old time's sake, you go first." 

"All right," Harold said drawing a card. "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1) in attack mode."

"Well, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," Faley said winking at Harold.

Harold was confused for a second but then recognized the implication of what she was saying, "What? No! Thunder Nyan Nyan has 1900 attack points!"

"True, true," Faley conceded as she drew a card. "But then again, so does he: Zure, Knight of Dark World (2)!" A silver plated demon carrying a sword appeared. "I also play the magic card Kishido Spirit! Now my monsters can't be destroyed if they're battling monsters with the same number of attack points! Zure, let's tango with Thunder!" The two monsters lunged forward. Thunder Nyan Nyan attempted to punch Zure, but Zure leapt over it and brought its sword down destroying the cat girl. "Too bad, she was quite good looking too."

"Sheesh, hasn't she ever heard of shame?" Tea asked.

"Judging by her choice of wardrobe, or lack of, no," Joey cracked.

"I'll end my turn there."

Harold drew a card, "I summon Venus the Agent of Creation (3) in attack mode." A bronze-skinned fairy appeared. "And now I activate her special ability: by giving up 1000 life points, I can summon two Mystical Shine Balls (4)."

(H: 3000)  
(F: 4000)

Two orbs appeared on either side of Venus. "And next I play the magic card United We Stand. This magic card increases a monster's attack points by 800 for each other monster on the field."

(VAC: 1600-3200)

"Venus, attack Zure with Salvation Orb!" The fairy launched an orb of light which eliminated Zure.

(H: 3000)  
(F: 2700)

"And with that I end my turn."

"Harold's seems to have gotten stronger since he got his memory back," Tea commented to Yugi.

Yugi nodded, "He finally knows who he is, and now he can set his own destiny."

Faley noticed it too, "You've really grown since the days we used to play strip poker."

"WHAT?" Everyone asked.

Faley chuckled, "Just kidding, kiddies."

Everyone face-faulted. "I was right, no shame," Tea said.

"Just go," Harold said

Faley sighed, "Still as stingy as ever," she said drawing a card.

* * *

_"Hurry up, Harold, Mama's going to take us to the pool!"_

_"I'm coming, Katy!" Young Harold come flying down the stairs bumping into Faley's legs. "Ouch!"_

_"Easy there, kiddo, that head of yours doesn't come with padding."_

_"Sorry, Faley." Young-Harold opened his eyes and realized where he was. He was lying on his butt with Faley standing over him. And with the short skirt she was wearing, well…_

_"You trying to burn a hole in me, Hun?"_

_Young-Harold realized what he was doing. "Sorry," he cried shielding his eyes and running outside._

_Faley chuckled, "Stingy just like his Grandpa."

* * *

_

"All right, Hun, I think it's time to bring out the true strength of my Dark World deck."

"True strength?" Harold asked.

"Yup," Faley agreed. "And it all starts here with Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two." No sooner had she inserted the cards into her graveyard then two bursts of energy formed a monster. It looked like a skeleton, except it had feathers.

"Where did that monster come from?" Harold asked aghast.

"From my graveyard, I discarded it with Graceful Charity but discarding it this way activated its special abilities returning them to the field. Say hello to Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (5)! Oh yes, and I also discarded Gren, Tactician of Dark World (6)."

"Does it come back to the field as well?"

"No, it stays in the graveyard. But that's okay, because since I discarded it from my hand, its special ability activates too, destroying one magic or trap card on the field, like your United We Stand card."

(VAC: 3200-1600)

"Looks like your Venus isn't looking very beautiful now," Faley joked. "Golld, attack with Dark World Strike!" The large monster clawed the fairy.

(H: 2300)  
(F: 2700)

"I'll set a card face-down and call it quits."

"Wow, that was brutal," Joey commented.

"This chick's battier than Dracula," Tristan cracked.

"Hey Yugi," Tea whispered. "What do you know about a Dark World deck?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Yugi said. "Much like Titan's Archfiend deck, it's a deck made up of all dark attribute monsters. I guess in some ways, it's the polar opposite of Harold's deck."

"That makes sense," Tea said. "I mean her personality couldn't be more opposite from Harold's than what it already is."

"I don't know about that," Yugi said. Then catching Tea's dirty look, he said, "I'm just saying that I think there's much more to her than meets the eye." To Yami, he said, _"I don't get it, she's not like Drew or Zigfried in that she doesn't hold any ill will against Harold, but why all the teasing and innuendo?"_

_"I'm sure she still cares about him," _Yami assured him. _"It's admirable."_

"_What is?"_

"_She's able to put her heart and soul into dueling, yet still maintain some degree of respect for Harold. She's definitely not like the first two Card Guards we dealt with."_

_Wow, she definitely hasn't been slacking off in her dueling since we were part of the Four Horsemen, _Harold thought. _How strange, Hinxton hired her to stop us from reaching him, yet she's still able to duel with a smile on her face without cutting me any slack. As vulgar as she is, for some reason I can't get mad at her like I do with some of my other opponents. What is it about her?_

"I was hoping you would be more of a challenge, Sweetie-Pie, but my Dark World deck have you by…" she snickered. "The balls." She pointed to the Mystical Shine Balls.

_Man, I would love to know how she's able to stay so happy. _"You want me to be more of a challenge?" Harold drew a card. "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it! I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Sanga of the Thunder (7)! Now attack her Goldd with Thunder Stroke!" Sanga let out a blast of lightning which blew Goldd back and destroyed him.

(H: 2300)  
(F: 2400)

Harold ended his turn.

"They're even," Kevin commented.

"In life points, just about," Yugi said without looking at Tea. "But I'm not sure about skill."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.

"Remember, she called herself a dueling mercenary meaning she dueled multiple opponents with a lot of different decks. Plus we don't know the full extent of what her deck can do. It's like I said earlier, there's much more to her than meets the eye."

"By the way, even if you're thinking about summoning a stronger monster, Sanga's special ability prevents an attack from going through."

"I must say, Harold, you've really grown up."

"This isn't going to be another innuendo, is it?" Harold asked.

"I'm serious," Faley said. "You're more confident than you used to be. I think if your Mom (rest her soul) was here, she'd be proud of you like I am."

"Thanks, Faley, I have my friends to thank for that."

"That's wonderful, Hun, but your friends better sit down for this because I've only begun to fight."

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database 

(1)  
Name: Thunder Nyan Nyan  
Level: 4  
Type: Thunder/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 800

(2)  
Name: Zure, Knight of Dark World  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 1600

(3)  
Name: Venus, the Agent of Creation (Agent of Creation – Venus)  
Level: 3  
Type: Fairy/Effect  
Attribute; Light  
ATK: 1600  
DEF: 0

(4)  
Name: Mystical Shine Ball  
Level: 2  
Type: Fairy  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 500  
DEF: 500

(5)  
Name: Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World  
Level: 5  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 1800

(6)  
Name: Gren, Tactician of Dark World  
Level: 2  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK; 300  
DEF: 500

(7)  
Name: Sanga of the Thunder  
Level: 7  
Type: Thunder/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2600  
DEF: 2200

A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus, guys, I've been going through some changes. One big change is that I no longer have AOL proper. I've set up e-mail accounts with yahoo and google under the same screen name but if you want to reach me, either PM me or do it in a review. Also, I know this episode was choc-full of innuendos. But don't worry, that's as adult as this story's going to get… um… maybe.


	7. Harold's Adventure in Dark World Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 270: Harold's Adventure in Dark World Pt 2: Sillva and Goldd

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Harold was shocked to discover that the next Card Guard was Faley, who along with Harold, his twin sister Katy, and Todd Lundgren, formed the original Four Horsemen. Faley's cheerful and outgoing personality was a deep contrast to her Dark World deck, which was also a contrast to Harold's light deck. Her monsters returned from the graveyard when discarded and they each carried powerful effects. But despite all this, Faley was always able to keep a smile on her face and ready with a joke (which was somewhat vulgar) or a sincere compliment. But is there more behind her smile than she's letting on?

* * *

_Most people I know had normal childhoods. Two parents, siblings, extended family, friends. But that wasn't me. My father ditched me even before I was born so I never knew him. And both sides of the family wanted nothing to do with me. Why, do you ask, because of my mother's "profession", that's why. There was so many names for what she did and practically none of them were very nice but the most polite term for her "occupation" was a comfort woman. I even think I was conceived during one of her "sessions." Friends were the same way but they weren't afraid to say it directly to my face._

_"Your mother's bad."_

_"My mother says you have no family."_

_"What's a tramp? My mother says that every time she sees you."_

_At the time I was too young to understand the situation I was in. And when I told her, she would just light up a cigarette and told me to go to my room. She usually gave me those instructions to signal that she was going to have one of her "clients" over. Whenever that would happen, I would run into my room and throw a pillow on top of my head in hopes to drown out her euphoric screams._

_It was shortly after my tenth birthday. I came home from playing in the park (by myself of course) to find my house ransacked. Windows smashed, furniture overturned, and the only sign of my mother was a pool of dry blood._

_The case was never solved. The cops investigated for two weeks (in reality it was probably just two hours but they told the newspapers it was two weeks) but found nothing._

_But even after my mother's death, nobody would come to claim me. I was shuffled off from foster home to foster home with no success. Finally, when I was 13, I ran away from it all. Nobody seemed to care. I knew I had to do something or I would never survive. Unfortunately, there was only one trade that I knew of, it was the same trade that my mother engaged in during her life._

_That's right, I followed in my mother's footsteps, I became a "comfort woman." And I quickly came to realize that she didn't have it easy. People weren't afraid to have their way with me and then leave, some of the time without even paying._

_It was after this one particularly "painful" session that I decided that I had enough. I didn't know what else to do or where to go. I sat down on a park bench and just started crying my eyes out._

_"Excuse me, are you all right?"_

_I looked up wondering who would be here so late at night._

_She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Even through tear-streaked eyes my breath was taken away at her beauty. She had long purple hair and wore a light brown pantsuit._

_"Are… are you looking for something?" I asked trying to put up a brave front. You had to be careful when you were in my profession. And I was already scorned once I made a mental vow to be on guard. Besides, who other than women in my profession would be out here in the middle of the night?_

_"I'm sorry, I was walking home and I saw you crying. Is something wrong?" I was about to tell her to mind her own business when someone else decided to intervene._

_Comfort women aren't the only ones who prowled the park at night looking for their next meal ticket, others do the same except they have no desire to give anything back in exchange, not even their own bodies._

_The woman was knocked to the ground. I was helping her up when we both realized what had happened but she was the first to vocalize it. "My purse, it's gone!"_

_I don't know why I did what I did next. Maybe the woman had some sort of influence over me or maybe I just needed someone to take out my anger. Whatever the reason, I chased down the purse snatcher and tackled him, I pounded and pounded on until he threw me off and ran off dropping the purse in the process. I retrieved the purse and held it up to the woman, bloody knuckles clearly visible._

_The woman instead took me into her arms and embraced me._

_I felt something, a feeling I could not define because I had not experienced it before. It wasn't pity or selfishness, or anything like that. It would be months, years even, before I would be able to put a name to what I felt when the woman hugged me._

_Kindness._

_The woman invited me to go to an all night diner with her. I tried to tell her it wasn't necessary but my stomach said otherwise. As I told her my story (she asked), I couldn't help but wonder was she doing this out of some prior arrangement? Or was she as kind as I felt coming from her?_

_Once I finished my story, she said, "You know, I have two children, twins, who are much younger than you. With my husband gone, I'm going to need some help."_

_"But I don't know anything about raising kids."_

_"You don't have to you just have to help me raise them. My parents keep throwing nannies at me but they don't have what you have."_

_"What's that?"_

_"A good heart, I can tell you have a good heart despite your profession. I want someone to teach my children to follow what is in their heart and I believe you can do it. Please, will you help me raise my children?"_

_Was this for real? I kept pinching my thigh but I didn't wake up on a bench or in a man's room which is what I normally do when I dream. It was too good to pass up. And this woman, she was like a guardian angel, she practically emanated trust and kindness. How was this possible? I stood up, "I accept," I told her._

_"Thank you. Please, come back to my house."_

_"Okay." As we got up, I suddenly realized she didn't know my name. "My name's Faley."_

_"Oh yes, where are my manners? I guess if we're going to be living together, we should at least know each other's names. My name is Katrina Kumara."_

_And so, I came to live with Katrina von Schroeder Kumara and became a surrogate guardian to her two children, Harold and Katy. Harold especially became my shadow, always following me around. Sometimes this was an embarrassing thing, like when he accidentally walked in on me while I was in the bathroom but on other times it was a good thing, like when I protected him and his friend Drew from a couple of bullies (I didn't even need to lift a finger, seeing as how it was impossible for a couple of eight year olds to beat up on someone who was almost 18). In time, I grew to consider Harold like a son, or at least a younger brother. Katrina's family was suspicious of me at first but they grew to accept me (or at least tolerate me). For a time, I felt happy, that in lieu of a biological family, I became part of Katrina's family and I could sense that she felt the same way._

_Then Katrina Kumara died._

_One of the maids told me that giving birth to twins had weakened her heart. It was one of those unfortunate flukes. But by that time, Harold and Katy had become so used to me that they cowered away when any other nanny would attempt to teach them. I had to stay on to take care of them. And besides, I became attached to them as well. For a moment, I considered the idea of having children of my own so I could raise them._

_But Katrina's brother Zigfried had other ideas. After Katrina's death, he became obsessed with stopping the bane of his existence, Kaiba Corp. He felt that the only way was to form his own commando squad. He forced Harold and Katy into this stupid scheme and he also recruited Todd Lundgren, who was in Katy's class at school. I didn't want Harold and Katy to go into a life of crime so I joined too. I felt I would be doing Katrina a service by making sure her children don't turn into mini-Zigfrieds._

_But apparently I was worried over nothing. Because from the way Harold stood up to Zigfried, he kept his mother's teachings alive and well._

_One day I came home from doing some shopping when I saw Katy huddled in the corner crying. Harold was nowhere to be found. Katy told me that Zigfried killed Harold and that she was a witness. Just like with my mother's death, I felt a jumble of emotions. At that moment the only thing I could do is hold Katy and comfort her the best way I can. When Katy had cried herself to sleep, I laid her in her bed then packed a few things into a backpack. I then sought out Zigfried and beat him to a pulp. When I had taken out my anger, I picked up my backpack and left the von Schroeder estate forever. I stopped off at Katrina's grave and begged her for forgiveness for failing to protect her children. I became a jack of all trades to survive. After Battle City, I decided to offer my services as a Duelist for hire. My first "client" gave me my Dark World deck and I dueled in tournaments and I dueled to teach others a lesson. But not a day went by that I didn't think of Harold._

_One day, I turned on the television in time to catch a press conference for a new tournament being held by Kaiba Corp., the KC Grand Tournament. I was literally thrown off my feet when one of the competitors was introduced as Harold Kumara._

_I wanted to run down there and see him but I was in the middle of a job. Soon after that, Hinxton called wanting me to hire to duel the King of Games and his friend. After seeing Harold stand next to Yugi at the press conference, I knew that Harold would be one of those participants.

* * *

_

"Well, are you going to make your move?" Harold asked.

Faley opened her dark eyes. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the good old days. I think your mother would've been proud of the man you become."

"You… knew my mother?"

"Yup, but let's go through another round before we start down memory lane, shall we? I play the magic card Dark World Dealings! With this card, we each draw a card and then discard a card."

(H: 2300)  
(F: 2400)

The card that Harold drew was a magic card called Guardian Angel. Its ability was that it allowed the player to return a monster to the deck to summon a fairy-type monster as long as it was of the same level and attribute as the monster that was returned. Harold planned on using it to return his Sanga to his deck and summon Wingweaver (1), his favorite monster.

A glow came from Faley's side of the field as a silver-colored version of her last monster appeared. "I knew there was a reason you would allow me to draw a card."

"Guilty," Faley said raising her hand. "This is Sillva Warlord of Dark World (2)!"

"Hello and good-bye because it's still weaker than my Sanga."

"Oh yeah, you're right," Faley said in a voice that made everyone skeptic that she really did forget. "I guess I'll end my turn."

_No way, I may not know her as well as I used to, but I doubt she would've committed such a grievous error by accident. It must have something to do with her face-down card. If I attack with Sanga, she could activate it and destroy my monster! But if I don't attack, who knows what else she'll bring out. Looks like I'll have to summon Wingweaver another way. _"My move!" He drew a card. "Sanga, attack Sillva with Thunder Stroke!" The large blast of lightning completely engulfed Sillva.

(H: 2300)  
(F: 2000)

_Maybe I was fretting over nothing, _Harold thought.

"Activate face-down card!"

_Maybe not. _Harold braced for anything, the destruction of his monster, the substantial reduction of his life points, an ultra-powerful monster to appear.

Nothing happened.

"Hey hun, you gonna make any more moves?" Faley asked.

"N… nothing happened."

"Oh, something happened. My trap card, The Forces of Darkness. It allows me to bring back two of my Dark World monsters from the graveyard."

Harold sighed and scratched his head, "With a Dark World deck, I probably should've expected a card like that."

"Actually, you couldn't have," Faley said. "Because you never saw my Dark World deck before today."

"I haven't? But you were part of the Four Horsemen, doesn't that mean you were a good Duelist?"

"Actually, I only got into dueling after I left the Four Horsemen."

"Wait, I'm confused," Joey said. "Didn't she say she was a Mercenary? Was that why she joined the Four Horsemen?"

"Nope." Faley's arms slumped. "I joined the Four Horsemen… to keep an eye on Harold and Katy."

"But why would you do a thing like that for me?" Harold asked.

"Well that's what a Godmother is supposed to do."

"Godmother?" The kids all asked.

"But she doesn't have any wings," Tristan pointed out.

"Idiot," Amara moaned.

"Actually I'm confused as to what it means myself," Tea admitted.

"In western tradition, when a child is born, a man and woman are picked to stand with the parents at the christening," Amara explained. "These days it's mostly an honorific term with no real authority, but some time back, it was the job of the Godmother and Godfather to guide and teach the child until they reach adulthood. My guess is at some point, Faley met Katrina Kumara, Harold and Katy's mother, and Katrina made her the Godmother to Harold and Katy."

"Is that true, Faley?" Harold asked. "Did you really know my mother?"

Faley's shoulders slumped. "Yeah," she said eerily solemn. "Your mother was the one who saved me from a life on the streets, a life that… well… a life I wouldn't be proud of. When Zigfried hit you, I thought that I failed Katrina, failed you." Harold mutely set a card face-down and motioned Faley to go. She drew a card and almost tear up, "This card," she said more to herself than to Harold. "I play the magic card known as The Cheerful Coffin! Now I discard three monsters from my hand."

"She lost her marbles," Tristan said. "She just discarded half her hand."

"I'd say she has all her marbles," Joey said. "Right, Amara?"

Amara nodded. "Tristan, her entire strategy depends on discarding from her hand."

A large casket with a slit appeared. Holographic images of Faley's three monsters appeared to slide into the slot. As soon as the casket disappeared, two flashes of light formed Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World. "The third monster I discarded was Kahkki, Guerrilla of Dark World (3) and when he's discarded I get to destroy a monster on your side of the field." Sanga blew up.

"Sanga!"

"Oh man, Harold's done for," Tristan said.

"And so are we," Yugi added. "Remember, if any of us loses, we're trapped in here forever!"

"Goldd, attack his life points directly! Midas Masher!" The monster rushed towards Harold.

"Activate trap card Waboku!" Harold commanded. "Sorry, Faley, but I'm not going down just yet!"

"That's what I loved about you, Harold, you were always so optimistic, so full of hope. I just wish I was able to…" She trailed off.

"Hold on a second," Harold said. "What happened to the bubbly, perverted-sounding woman I met earlier? Was she just a façade?"

Faley looked up on her, surprised for the first time that day. "Huh?"

"I believe that your deck reflects who you really are. In other words, it's your soul revealed for all to see. A Dark World deck, to me, signifies someone who is hiding in the darkness, who waits until absolute certainty and then strikes. Is that who you are, Faley? Is that who my mother recruited to help raise me and Katy?"

Faley let out an audible gasp. _He's right, I've been hiding in the darkness for most of my life. But Katrina saw through it, she saw through the darkness to the real me. That's why…_

"Still not convinced?" Harold asked. "All right, maybe my next move will convince you." He drew a card. "I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka (4) in attack mode." A silver-colored griffin appeared.

"Wait, isn't that a six star monster? Don't you need to sacrifice something?" Joey asked.

"With Ohka's special ability, no sacrifice is needed," Yugi explained. "But an advantage like that comes with a heavy drawback."

"Yugi's right, when the turn that Ohka is summoned in ends, Ohka goes to the graveyard. But that's okay, because I have a different plan for it. I play the magic card Promotion!"

"What does that do?" Tea asked.

"It raises my monster's level by one."

"Okay, now even I'm lost," Amara said. "There's no point in raising your monster's level by one especially when it's already been summoned."

"It does when you're about to play a special magic card, like Guardian Angel! Here's how it works, I take one monster on my side of the field and return it to my deck. Then I summon a fairy-type monster from my hand that's the same level and attribute of the previous monster."

"So that means that Harold's new monster must be level 7 too," Joey said looking at his fingers. "And a light attribute monster."

"And there's only one monster I know of that fits all those criteria," Amara said.

"That's right, say hello to Wingweaver!" From Harold's deck came a six-winged purple-haired fairy that was about twice Harold's height.

"So that's the card your mother gave you," Faley said. "I must say, I think she's the cutest monster you got."

"She's more than just another pretty face," Harold said getting used to Faley's 'cute' comments. "She's also powerful and she's not alone, I play the magic card Final Light!"

"Hey, isn't that one of Zigfried's cards?" Tea asked Yugi.

"Yeah, Rebecca told me that Leon gave him a copy after the Grand Tournament."

"Now I pay 1000 life points to summon a light attribute monster from my deck."

(H: 1300)  
(F: 2000)

"But you get to revive a monster too, as long as it has 2000 attack points or less."

"Then I'll summon back Zure, Knight of Dark World."

"And I'll pick… Sanga of the Thunder! Now, time to go to work! Wingweaver, attack Sillva with Light Spark!" Wingweaver gathered energy into an orb and released it.

(H: 1300)  
(F: 1550)

"Sanga, attack Goldd with Thunder Stroke!" Faley watched as her second powerful monster was destroyed.

(H: 1300)  
(F: 1150)

_My two most powerful monsters have been destroyed, _Faley thought.

"I end my turn," Harold

Faley drew a card. It was a magic card called Gateway to Dark World. The problem was that none of the monsters in her graveyard were powerful enough to beat either Sanga or Wingweaver. It was clear, she wasn't going to win this. "Harold, can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?" Harold asked.

"Win the duel with your Wingweaver. I want to eliminate the darkness in me. Eliminate it with your light, just as your mother did years ago."

Harold nodded and drew a card. "I play Silver Bow and Arrow to give Wingweaver 300 extra attack and defense points."

(W: 2750-3050, 2400-2700)

"Wingweaver, attack Zure with Light Spark!" Once again Wingweaver gathered energy into a ball and released it.

As the light struck Zure, Faley found herself temporarily blinded. When her vision came into focus, she saw Wingweaver.

And she heard her, heard her speak a familiar sentence with a familiar voice.

"_I can tell you have a good heart."_

(H: 1300)  
(F: 0)

Wingweaver and Sanga faded. Faley's eyes stung and she rubbed them to get rid of the tears. When her vision cleared she saw Harold standing before her holding out his hand. She took it as he helped her up.

"I think your mother would be proud of who you became," Faley said.

"I think she would be proud of who you became as well," Harold said.

"I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but can we move on now?" Joey asked.

"Sure, Harold here beat me fair and square.' The lights came on bathing everyone in brightness. They discovered nothing but a metal hallway with a set of doors at the other end. "I will take you all to the next Card Guard."

"Someone who knows the layout of Hinxton's mansion could be handy," Yugi pointed out.

"You know something, Harold," Faley said as she opened the door and allowed the others to pass through. "You're one of those rare types."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a guy who's strong and nice. There aren't enough men like that any more."

"I'm sure your husband's a nice guy," Harold said as they walked into the elevator.

"Oh yeah, SHE definitely is."

Of all of her memories of Harold, the face he made when he heard that would be one of her favorite and she laughed the whole way up.

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database 

(1)  
Name: Wingweaver  
Level: 7  
Type: Fairy  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2750  
DEF: 2400

(2)  
Name: Sillva, Warlord of Dark World  
Level: 5  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 1400

(3)  
Name: Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World  
Level: 2  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 300  
DEF: 500

(4)  
Name: Majestic Mech – Ohka  
Level: 6  
Type: Fairy/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2400  
DEF: 1400

* * *

A/N: Merry Christmas! As my present to you, I am not only giving you this all-new chapter of Avatar, but three new chapters of GX Legends. Oh yeah, and as for a present I'm giving myself, a month or so off after cranking out four chapters in the span of a few weeks. I'll see you guys next year around late January-early February. 


	8. Digging Her Own Grave Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 271: Death Becomes Her Pt 1: Digging Your Own Grave

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! We're given a glimpse into Faley's past, how she came from a broken home, how she was forced to become a "woman of the night" while still in her teens. We're shown how she was discovered by Katrina Kumara, who not only invited Faley to live with her, but chose her to become the godmother of her two children, Harold and Katy. And when Katrina died, Faley willingly became part of the Four Horsemen to keep an eye on Harold and Katy and make sure Zigfried didn't do anything to them. Unfortunately, she failed in her task when Zigfried clobbered Harold and gave him amnesia. After that she became a dueling mercenary. She obviously was overjoyed when during her latest job, she discovered that the person she had to duel was none other than Harold, not only alive but remembers (mostly) everything. The problem with Faley was that she was hiding, she was hiding in the darkness for most of her life, it took Harold and Wingweaver to help free her from the burden of her past. With the duel won, Faley volunteered to take Harold, Yugi, and their friends to the next Card Guard.

* * *

A mysterious figure crept through the hallways of Hinxton's mansion, taking care to stick to the walls to avoid the cameras. _Hinxton hasn't seen me yet, _the figure thought. _I have to get to it before those kids do. They must know the truth about who Hinxton really is.

* * *

_

Faley and the kids came out into a room with a set of double doors at the other end.

"Which floor awe we now on, Faley?" Yugi asked.

"Sub-Basement 1," Faley said. "There's an elevator that leads back up to the ground level."

"And that must be it!" Tristan cried.

"Fresh air and sunshine, here I come!" Joey also cried as the two ran for it.

"Let me guess, that's the door to where the next Card Guard is," Amara said.

"Yup," Faley confirmed. "And trust me, he's a definite goofball."

"Can't be any more of a goofball then some of the other opponents we've faced," Tea said. "Uh… present company excepted of course."

Faley chuckled. "Kid, trust me, compared to some of the other Card Guards, I'm as normal as you're going to get."

"Normalcy is way overrated," Harold said. "We have a rule, you can't be normal and join our group, you have to be weird in some way."

"And just what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Amara asked. She stepped in front of Harold. "Are you saying I'm not normal?"

"Relax, Amara, it's not like I'm insulting you."

"But you didn't answer my question." She glared at him. "Are you saying I'm not normal?"

"Calm down, Amara," Tea said. "Harold didn't mean anything by it."

But Amara wasn't hearing her, "Listen, buddy, I'm as normal a person as you're ever going to meet so I would watch what I say if I were you." And she turned and walked inside.

"I was just trying to be funny," Harold said with his head slumped. "I didn't realize I was insulting her."

"It's okay, hun," Faley said scratching his head like one would a dog. "You still have a lot to learn about the opposite sex though." The others followed through the set of double doors.

"Whoa," they said. They had met up with Joey, Tristan, and Amara.

They found themselves in a desert-like surrounding with high cliffs all around them. Even the door they came through, which closed and locked after them, was up against a cliff side.

"I recognize this place," Yugi said.

"Me too," Kevin said. "My Father once showed me some pictures; it's the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt."

"So this guy's into Egyptian tourist traps?" Joey asked.

"The Valley of the Kings is more than just an Egyptian tourist trap, Joey," Yugi said. "My Grandpa told me that the Valley of the Kings was where all the former Pharaohs were buried. In short, it's an Egyptian graveyard!"

"That's correct, young man and soon it shall become your grave as well." A man dressed in a turban and white robes, a goatee decorating his face appeared.

"Oh brother," Faley said scratching her head as the illusion disappeared. "Kids, meet Shaheen mai Krelvar, the weirdest Card Guard you'll ever meet."

Shaheen pointed to Faley, "Faley, for betraying the god, your fate shall be the same as theirs."

"A real barrel of sunshine, isn't he?" Tristan asked sarcastically.

"You don't know the half of it," Faley said, her own tone equaling Tristan's.

"Where does Hinxton find these nut jobs?" Joey wondered.

* * *

In his study, Hinxton was wondering the same thing.

* * *

"I have been empowered with the authority to judge passing souls to the afterlife and I assure you…" He held up his Duel Disk. "You will have no rest."

_"I hope I don't have to encounter anyone like him when I pass on," _Yami commented. Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Listen, you dead head," Amara said. "We're in a hurry and I'm pretty pissed off already so quit this nickel and dime show and get out of our way or I'll get really angry!"

"You have odd behavior," Shaheen said.

"You calling me odd too? That's you second strike!"

"What's with Amara?" Tristan asked.

"Harold, did you say something to her?" Joey asked.

Harold sighed, "I'm still trying to figure that out," he said scratching his head.

"Someone of your stature must learn to behave," Shaheen scolded. "So be a good girl and keep your mouth shut."

"That was strike three," Amara said. "Now I'm really mad!" She activated her Duel Disk.

"So you wish to challenge me? Foolish mistake," Shaheen said activating his Duel Disk. "I will put you where you belong!"

(A: 4000)  
(S: 4000)

As Amara drew her initial hand, she frowned. She was already in a bad mood and her hand didn't look any better.

"Well, are you going to let me go first or are you going to summon a monster?"

"Just go," she said.

"Such insolent behavior," Shaheen said. "I'll start by setting a monster in defense mode."

"That's it?" Amara asked.

"That's all I need to deal with you," Shaheen said.

"And they say I'm cocky," Amara said. _His face-down monster is probably a flip effect monster so attacking it could trigger it. Then again, if I don't attack it, he could use it to attack me. Normally, flip effect monsters have weak points to compensate. So if I summon a strong monster, I can brave whatever effect his monster has. On the other hand, my opening hand isn't exactly the epitome of initial dueling hands. _She drew a new card. _Guess I'll have to take a chance. _"I summon Lady of Faith (1) in attack mode, now attack his face-down card!" The colorful robed magician fired a blast of yellow light. An owl appeared before disappearing. "Your great card is a bird?"

"Not just any bird, An Owl of Luck (2). And when it's flipped over, I get to take a field magic card from my deck and then place it on top of my deck."

Amara breathed a sigh of relief. _At least I know what card he's going to draw next. With any luck, I'll be able to withstand his attack._

Shaheen drew a card. "I will now prove to you just how weak you really are. I summon Gravekeeper's Watcher (3) in attack mode." A dark skinned man holding a book appeared. "And next I play the magic card Necrovalley!"

"Necrovalley?"

Light swirled from Shaheen's Duel Disk as their surroundings changed to form a chasm between two cliffs.

(GW: 1000-1500, 1000-1500)

"No, now your monster's stronger than mine!"

"Gravekeeper's Watcher, attack Lady of Faith!" The Watcher fired an energy blast from his hand with threw the Lady of Faith back. The light spellcaster let out a cry before being destroyed. "Now do you see why you're hopelessly outmatched?"

(A: 3600)  
(S: 4000)

"Because you dropped me by 400 life points? Please, I've suffered from much lower numbers." She drew a card. "I've just begun to fight, I summon Gemini Elf (4) in attack mode, now gang up on his Watcher!" The two females both kicked the Watcher destroying him."

(A: 3600)  
(S: 3600)

"Now we're even."

"Stupid wench," Shaheen groaned as he drew a card.

"Shaheen is the pure definition of masochism," Faley explained.

"Kind of reminds me of Kaiba," Joey commented.

_From the look on his face, I'll deduce that his face-down monster has a high defense, but probably nothing my Elf can't handle. _"I summon Dancing Fairy (5) in defense mode. Now, Gemini Elf, attack his face-down monster."

Shaheen smirked and Amara knew that whatever trap he laid for her had sprung… and worked.

A bald-headed brute appeared pushing Gemini Elf back with his spear. "How do you like my Gravekeeper's Guard (6)? Not only does he have 1900 defense points, which is increased thanks to Necrovalley…"

(GG: 1000-1500, 1900-2400)

(A: 3100)  
(S: 3600)

"But his special ability allows me to send a monster card back to its owner's hand, and I choose your Gemini Elf." The monster disappeared and Amara withdrew the card from her Duel Disk's tray. "Just as a girl like you belongs, complacent and quiet."

"Keep talking, you son of…"

"Amara, you're just playing right into his hands," Harold called.

"Shut up, Kumara, I know what I'm doing!" Amara set a card face-down. "I end my turn."

Shaheen started his turn, "I summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (7) in attack mode. Now by tributing a Gravekeeper monster on my side of the field, I can inflict 700 points of damage."

"Or you could, if I didn't activate the trap card I laid last turn! Trap card open: Raigeki Break! Now by ditching a card I can destroy another card on the field, like your Guard!" The guard gasped as he was destroyed.

"I can still attack normally with Cannonholder's 1900 attack points!"

(GC: 1400-1900, 1200-1700)

Dancing Fairy was destroyed. "Now you're defenseless!" _Wait a second, she's not defenseless, I've forgot she still has her Gemini Elf. Fortunately, I don't think she has anything stronger._

Amara drew her Shallow Grave magic card. _I can't work with just three cards, I need a full hand. That's where my face-down comes in handy. _"I reveal my trap card Reckless Greed. Now I can draw two cards but only if I don't draw any new cards during my next two turns."

"Bad move," Yugi commented. "Amara should've saved her trap card for when her hand was empty."

"Even if you were to tell her that, Yugi, I don't think she would listen," Kevin said.

"Yeah," Harold agreed. "Amara certainly likes going by her own set of rules."

The cards she drew were both monster cards, Penumbral Soldier Lady (8) and Element Valkyrie (9). _Fantastic! Now I can get one up on him! I can use Shallow Grave to resurrect my Lady of Faith then sacrifice her to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady, that'll show him. _"I play the magic card Shallow Grave." The card appeared but then started sparking with electricity and was immediately destroyed. "What, what happened to my card?"

"Necrovalley is what happened," Shaheen said. "It's other effect. Any magic, trap, or monster effect that targets monsters in the graveyard is negated and destroyed!"

_No, my strategy!_

"Yes," Shaheen hissed. "That's the look you should be wearing, one of fear, one of terror, one of… death!"

Amara shook her head, "Your spook talk won't scare me! I'll re-summon Gemini Elf in attack mode and end my turn."

"Not much you can do," Shaheen said drawing a card. "I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Cannonholder to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (10)!"

(GCh: 1900-2400, 1200-1700)

Amara and the others gasped as the black skinned man carrying a scepter appeared. "That guy looks like you," Amara gasped.

"That's right, I am the Chief of the Gravekeepers, ferrymen to the dead!"

"You don't know how many times Crowler and I slugged him for doing that ferrymen to the dead thing," Faley said.

"Now behold my… I mean his special ability!" Gravekeeper's Cannonholder reappeared.

(GCa: 1400-1900, 1200-1700)

"Where did he come from?" Amara asked referring to Gravekeeper's Cannonholder.

"Gravekeeper Chief's special ability, I can bring back a Gravekeeper monster from my graveyard."

"But Necrovalley should've negated that ability."

"Gravekeeper's Chief makes my graveyard immune to Necrovalley's effect. Gravekeeper's Chief, attack Gemini Elf!" The Chief waved his scepter and fired a mist which destroyed Gemini Elf.

(A: 2600)  
(S: 3600)

"Cannonholder, attack her directly!" Amara screamed as she was hit with blasts from the cannon.

(A: 700)  
(S: 3600)

"I'll end my turn there."

_He's toying with her, _Yugi thought. _Gravekeeper's Cannonholder can inflict 700 points of damage when a Gravekeeper monster is sacrificed. He could've sacrificed Gravekeeper's Chief and win the duel. _"Amara!"

"Not now, Yugi," Amara said as she started to draw a card. _Wait, Reckless Greed prevents me from drawing a card. Guess I'll have to use my other face-down card. _"I summon The Unhappy Maiden (11) in defense mode and reveal my other face-down card Reload." Amara returned the cards she got with Reckless Greed to her deck, re-shuffled and drew two new cards. But they were both monster cards. "I end my turn."

"I know that attacking your Unhappy Maiden would only cause me to be unable to attack any more of your monsters. Fortunately, I have a way around it. I activate Cannonholder's special ability. By sacrificing my Gravekeeper's Chief, I can inflict 700 points of damage to you." Gravekeeper's Chief turned into energy and went into the cannon. Gravekeeper's Cannonholder aimed the cannon upward and fired. The blast of energy arched and landed directly on Amara.

(A: 0)  
(S: 3600)

"I have won, and now you must suffer by remaining underground forever, in other words… get buried." As Shaheen turned to leave, cracks appeared in the walls and sand started to fill in.

"Harold, let's form a Shadow Dome to protect us," Yugi suggested.

"Right… Yugi, look." Harold pointed to Amara, curled up in a fetal position, already mostly covered with sand. "Amara!"

"Amara! Amara, get up!" Yugi yelled. "Amara!"

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Lady of Faith  
Level: 3  
Type: Spellcaster  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1100  
DEF: 800

(2)  
Name: An Owl of Luck  
Level: 2  
Type: Winged-Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 300  
DEF: 500

(3)  
Name: Gravekeeper's Watcher  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 1000

(4)  
Name: Gemini Elf  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 900

(5)  
Name: Dancing Fairy  
Level: 4  
Type: Fairy/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1700  
DEF: 1000

(6)  
Name: Gravekeeper's Guard  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 1900

(7)  
Name: Gravekeeper's Cannonholder  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1200

(8)  
Name: Penumbral Soldier Lady  
Level: 6  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2100  
DEF: 1400

(9)  
Name: Element Valkyrie  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1200

(10)  
Name: Gravekeeper's Chief  
Level: 5  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 1200

(11)  
Name: The Unhappy Maiden  
Level: 1  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 0  
DEF: 1000


	9. Digging Her Own Grave Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 272: Death Becomes Her Pt 2: Rising Again

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Faley introduced Yugi and the others to Shaheen, the next Card Guard, who idolized himself as keeper of the graves. Angry over something Harold said, Amara dove into the duel but was totally unprepared for Shaheen's Gravekeeper deck. Her graveyard was useless to her and her monsters could not protect her from Shaheen's Gravekeepers Chief and Cannonholder. She lost the duel and Shaheen left her and the others buried in sand.

* * *

"And so it ends," Hinxton said as he watched the final blast strike Amara. "Kind of a shame, really, I was really hoping to face him." He switched his monitor off.

* * *

As Shaheen left the chamber, he locked the door. "There, now those kids will be buried in sand. Nothing short of an act of the gods will get them out of there."

"I would call you a monster but that would be disrespecting the cards," a voice said. Shaheen turned and saw a strange man in a purple cloak standing before him.

"Who are you?"

"That is none of your business, what is your business is what I have planned for you." The cloaked man removed a dagger.

Shaheen looked over and saw an intercom. He had to warn Hinxton that there was an unknown intruder in the mansion. He lunged for it but the cloaked man threw the dagger and pierced the intercom's control panel damaging it. "What do you want?"

"If you truly wish to warn your boss, you must beat me in a duel." The cloaked man revealed a Duel Disk from underneath the sleeve. Shaheen noticed that his hand was dark-skinned like Shaheen's own. "But if I win, you will answer all my questions without hesitation or deception!"

"Very well," Shaheen said. There were no cameras in this particular hallway so Hinxton did not know about this. Shaheen had to win this duel at any cost.

(S: 4000)  
(C: 4000)

Shaheen made the first move. "I summon Gravekeeper's Curse (1) in attack mode. And when I summon him, I can lower your life points by 500!" The Gravekeeper's Curse swung its hooked staff and let out a strange mist which made the cloaked man cringe.

(S: 4000)  
(C: 3500)

"Next I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Gravekeeper's Curse, a good start," the cloaked man said. "Still, he shall not beat my Pyramid Turtle (2) in attack mode! Now attack his Curse!" The Turtle pulled its head and appendages into its pyramid-like shell and fell flat on Gravekeeper's Curse.

(S: 3800)  
(C: 3500)

"I reveal my trap card Rite of Spirit, this lets me re-summon the monster that was just destroyed from my graveyard, and his effect still applies." Once again the cloaked man cringed from the mist.

(S: 3800)  
(C: 3000)

"You are fairing no better than the female Duelist I just faced."

"I see," the cloaked man said neutrally. "Then in that case, I play the magic card Reload!" The cloaked man returned the four remaining cards in his hand and drew four new cards. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

_I have nothing to worry about, _Shaheen thought as he started his turn. "I shift Gravekeeper's Curse to attack mode and summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder in attack mode. Cannonholder, attack his turtle!" The Cannonholder fired his weapon and blew a hole through the turtle.

"Thank you," the cloaked man said. "By destroying my turtle, you activated its ability, allowing me to summon a monster with 2000 or less defense points, and I choose Ryu Kokki (3)!"

Shaheen cursed, "I still have Cannonholder's special ability! I sacrifice my Curse to inflict damage to your life points by 700!" Just like with the Gravekeeper's Chief, the Curse disappeared into the cannon which the Cannonholder aimed upward and fired. The energy blast arched and struck the man.

(S: 3800)  
(C: 2300)

"I'll end my turn there."

The cloaked man drew a card. "I play the magic card Snatch Steel to take control of your Cannonholder!" Cannonholder was pulled to the cloaked man's side of the field. "Next I sacrifice Cannonholder and Ryu Kokki to summon Despair from the Dark (4)!" A large black shadow with huge claws appeared. "Now attack him directly." The monster stabbed its claws into Shaheen.

(S: 1000)  
(C: 2300)

"You are no ordinary man," Shaheen said. "Tell me who you are!"

"That is none of your business," the cloaked man said. "I am no more ordinary than you. And I am much more in tuned with the dead than you."

"What do you mean?"

"I am a true Gravekeeper."

"Liar!" Shaheen said drawing a card. "I set a monster in defense mode and that is all." _Where is Necrovalley? I need it now!_

_No doubt his face-down monster is designed to remove my monster from the field. _The cloaked man started his turn. "Ah, this combo shall do nicely."

Shaheen looked up in surprised.

"First I summon Regenerating Mummy (5) in attack mode and next I'll play the magic card Creature Swap! Here's how it works, we each pick a monster on our own side of the field, then control of that monster switches. I choose my Regenerating Mummy, but you don't have a choice in the manner." Regenerating Mummy appeared on Shaheen's side of the field and Shaheen's face-down card appeared next to Despair from the Dark. "Despair from the Dark, end this duel now!" Despair from the Dark slashed its claws across Regenerating Mummy destroying it.

"NO!" Shaheen cried.

(S: 0)  
(C: 2300)

Shaheen couldn't even fall to his knees before he was thrown up against a wall. "Now, you will tell me precisely where Hinxton is."

"He's in his study in a tower at the center of the compound. Down this hallway is an elevator that'll take you up to the ground floor. Follow the hallway to the end then climb up a spiral staircase."

"Thank you." The cloaked man dropped Shaheen and after unlocking the door that Yugi and the others were trapped behind, left.

* * *

_I never could follow the crowd even if I wanted to. While most girls my age were playing with dolls and talking about how cute boys were, I was actually playing ball with the boys. I even wore my hair short and wore jeans and baggy shirts. I guess that was where my tomboy attitude developed. Girls started whispering whenever I would walk into the room. I could tell they were talking about me and what they were saying wasn't good._

_I bought my first Duel Monster pack when I turned 11. I loved the cards and the pictures of the various monsters, some who looked kind of like me. One day I made the mistake of bringing my Duel Monster cards to school. One of the boys offered to teach me how to play. It was during this tutorial that a girl came in, this was the most popular girl in the school. Her hips banged against the deck spilling all my cards._

_"Sorry," she said. But everyone could tell that she didn't really mean that. And I was determined to confront her._

_It wasn't exactly the fight of the year, but I was determined to make sure little Miss Prissy Pants think twice before she would ever try a stunt like that again.._

_"What's your problem?"_

_"You're the weirdest person I have ever seen. You don't act like a girl, you act like an animal, maybe somebody should put a collar on you!"_

_"I'm more human than you."_

_"I don't think so, normal people have friends and you have nobody! Just go play your silly little card games."_

_That was when I lost my temper. I tackled her to the ground. We wrestled around as a crowd quickly gathered, not knowing whether to cheer us on or break us up. I was in the middle of a volley of punches when a teacher intervened and pulled me away. Damage was done by both sides. Her blouse was torn at the shoulder and she was beginning to show signs of a black eye. As for me, I had scratches on my face and the wind had been knocked out of me when she got in a lucky strike with her knee._

_After that, my parents moved away. I'm sure it had nothing to do with me or at least that's what I kept telling myself. At a new school, I tried making friends, but with my temper, it was hard. It seemed like the only time I really felt alive was when I was playing Duel Monsters. So when I found out that Kaiba was holding his Battle City tournament, I leapt at the chance. Because I spent so much time practicing my skills, I got my locator cards easily. I thought I was finally on my way to earning some respect._

_Needless to say, that train jumped the rails.

* * *

_

Amara lay curled up in a ball, her arms over her ears, her face buried in her knees. _I failed, I failed the others, and I failed myself. Maybe I should just remain buried here._

Suddenly the ground around her started to shake. Amara felt the weight above her lessen and there was some sort of vacuum sound. Then all of a sudden, there was sunlight. Amara gasped as oxygen suddenly entered her.

"She's all right," someone called. Amara looked and saw that all the sand was being sucked up into a large black portal being generated by the contact between Yugi's Millennium Puzzle and Harold's Avatar Armlet.

"I never thought we could do this, Yugi," Harold was saying.

"I know, when Edina upgraded my Millennium Puzzle, she unlocked powers I never thought was possible."

Finally, enough of the sand was pulled away that the group could move around. The two collapsed. "I don't think whoever created the Millennium Items had clean-up duty in mind when they created them, Yugi."

"Think about it this way, Harold, it was for a good cause." They got up and ran over to check on Amara, who was coughing and gagging. "How is she?"

"She seems to be fine," Faley said rubbing Amara's back.

"No I'm not," Amara said. "I failed you, my anger clouded my judgment and as a result, I failed. I'm sorry, Kevin, I know how much you wanted to get him." Kevin just turned away from her.

"Forget all that," Joey said. "I say we storm out of here, find whatever rat-hole Hinxton's hiding under and force him to tell us what happened to Kevin's pop."

"But Joey, even if the door was unlocked, if we did that, we would be breaking Hinxton's rules," Yugi pointed out.

"I say screw Hinxton and his rules," Tristan said. "He's the one who got us into this mess and now we have to do whatever he says? I agree with Joey, it's time we do things our way!"

_"He's right, Yugi," _Yami agreed.

_"Pharaoh?"_

_"Don't forget what is really at stake here: the seventh Millennium Item. If it's anything like the Millennium Ring or the Millennium Rod, then it's an item of dangerous power. If Hinxton realizes what it's capable of, he could become just as dangerous as Bakura or Marik. And also don't forget that he's on a mission to put an end to Duel Monsters, a game beloved by everyone, children and adults. I know you want to take the high road, but there is too much at stake here, we have to change the playing field to suit our needs, not Hinxton's."_

Yugi sighed, "You all are right, it's time to show Hinxton that we can play just as serious as him! It's time to duel!" Everyone threw their arms up and cheered.

"Not for me," Amara said. "You guys don't need me holding you down."

"Yes we do need you," Kevin said. "Please, Amara, I'm going to need all the help I can get in helping me find out what happened to my dad."

"But you don't need someone as weird as me."

"You really haven't been listening, have you?" Harold asked. Amara looked at him confused. "You're surrounded by people who know more about abnormality than anyone." He pointed his thumb at Yugi. "You got one guy with the most severe case of split personality disorder ever seen." He moved his thumb over to Joey, "You got another guy who spends more time on his back than a Catholic School girl." Joey didn't get the comment. Harold just moved his thumb over to Tristan, "You even have a guy who was turned into a robot monkey."

"Did you have to bring up the monkey?" Tristan asked.

Amara regarded Harold warily, "And what about you?"

Harold held up his Armlet. "I'm the amnesiac with the golden armband and a fixation for light attribute monsters. You see, Amara, we were all able to take what was abnormal about us and turned it into a strength. And once that happened, we ceased to be abnormal. Your abnormality is your stubbornness but you can use that to help us get to Hinxton." He held out his hand. "Ready to go."

_He really means it, _Amara realized. She took it and stood up, "You know what, Kumara, you're all right, I always thought kind people like you only existed in stories, but now I see that you really do care about justice and all that junk. Okay, let's get to Hinxton."

"That's the spirit. First thing we need to do is get rid of that camera so Hinxton can't track us."

"Leave that to me," Harold said. He formed a shield with his Armlet and slammed the camera off its hinges.

"Good job, Harold, now for the door."

"Way ahead of you, bud," Joey said. "Tristan?"

"Let's do it!" The two charged the door and knocked it off its hinges.

"Let's go!" Everyone ran out. They reached the intersection. "Which way?"

"Maybe we should split up," Kevin suggested.

"Oh yeah, splitting up in the house of a psychotic politician is a great plan," Joey said sarcastically.

"How did you escape?" They turned and saw Shaheen standing at the other end of the hallway.

"Where is Hinxton?" Amara demanded to know.

"I will not let you reach him alive, I will bury you!"

Amara calmly stepped forward. "I will not let you harm my friends. If you want to get through them, you'll have to go through me."

"You strange and worthless creature, I guess you haven't learned your lesson from last time? Very well, I shall bury you again!"

"Amara, be careful," Yugi called out. Amara nodded.

Once again, the two activated their Duel Disks. "Time to duel!"

(A: 4000)  
(S: 4000)

_I'm going to have to check my anger, just concentrate on your dueling, Amara. _She drew her sixth card. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed." She drew two new cards. "I set a monster in defense mode and another card face-down. End turn."

Shaheen started his own first turn. "I play the magic card Dark-Piercing Light to reveal your monster!" Invader of the Throne (6) appeared. "Ah, how fortunate for me, you would've gained control of one of my monster. But since I have no monsters out yet, I am safe. So now I summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder in attack mode and set a card face-down. That ends my turn."

Amara drew a new card. "I sacrifice my Invader to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!" Amara's favorite monster appeared. "And next I play the magic card Fissure. This card destroys one monster with the lowest number of attack points… like your Cannonholder." A chasm opened up under Cannonholder and the monster was pulled underneath. "Soldier Lady, attack his life points directly." The blonde swordswoman stabbed her sword into Shaheen's stomach.

(A: 4000)  
(S: 1900)

"I'll end my turn."

"Well, I see you are more conservative with your moves," Shaheen said drawing a new card. "I summon Grave Protector (7) in defense mode and activate my trap card Metalmorph. This increases my monster's attack and defense points by 300!"

(GP: 0-300, 2000-2300)

"I also set another card face-down and end my turn."

_Nuts, I can't destroy his monster now, but those other cards give me an idea. _"I play the magic card The Warrior Returning Alive to bring Invader of the Throne back to my hand. Then I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

_She set her Invader of the Throne again, big mistake. I can destroy that…_ But he drew a trap card and knew he couldn't attack just yet. "I set another card face-down and end my turn."

_That's it; just keep laying those face-down cards, _Amara smirked. "I flip summon my face-down monster, Princess of Tsurugi (8)!"

"What, but that's supposed to be Invader of Throne!"

"Just what I wanted you to think, my original plan to have you attack it activating its effect but this is better. As for its effect, it deals you 500 points of damage for each magic or trap card on the field and since you have three that means 1500 points of damage."

(A: 4000)  
(S: 400)

"I'll end my turn there."

_She wants me to attack her Princess so she can destroy my monster with her Soldier Lady, but I have another plan. _"You remember this card from our last duel, do you? Reveal trap card: Rite of Spirit! As you well know, I can resurrect a Gravekeeper monster. And I choose my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder which I'll summon in defense mode. Next I summon Gravekeeper's Watcher in attack mode. Now attack her Princess." The Watcher fired a shockwave which destroyed Amara's Princess.

(A: 3900)  
(S: 400)

"Next I'll sacrifice my Watcher to activate my Cannonholder's special effect giving you 700 points of damage!" Once again, an arching shaft of energy hit Amara.

(A: 3200)  
(S: 400)

"And last, I play the magic card Necrovalley!"

"Oh no!" Amara gasped.

"Amara," her friends called out.

"Behold your burial grounds!" Shaheen cried as the two chasms rose up around them. "And it is here that you'll stay buried alone forever!"

Amara cast a side glance at the others. _He's wrong, _she thought. _I'm never alone. _She calmly drew a card. "I activate a magic card, Burning Land!"

"Yugi, does that mean what I think it means?" Joey asked.

"Yup, Burning Land destroys all field magic cards," Yugi confirmed. The ground around them burst into flames.

"Looks like my funeral will have to wait."

"That's it, no more Mr. Nice Grave-Keeper," Shaheen cried as he drew a new card. "I play Offerings to the Doomed to destroy your Soldier Lady." As soon as Soldier Lady was destroyed, Shaheen played another magic card. "I activate the Zera Ritual card. I sacrifice Protector and Cannonholder to summon Zera the Mant (9)!" A large skeletal dinosaur monster appeared. "Now attack her directly!" The monster slashed his claws across Amara's chest.

(A: 400)  
(S: 400)

"Now we're even," Shaheen said.

"That's just what I said," Amara said. "And then you took the duel from me. So now it's karma." She drew a new card. "I reveal my trap card Reckless Greed, this lets me draw two extra cards."

"That card was your undoing last time, and it will be your downfall here."

"We'll see," Amara said neutrally. "I play the magic card Shallow Grave, this lets both of us summon a monster from our graveyard face-down in defense position." Two face-down monsters appeared, one on each Duelist's side of the field. "Next I set another monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Shaheen realized with horror that the monster she brought back with Shallow Grave was her Princess of Tsurugi, that could've been the only reason it's face-down. And he had a face-down card which meant if he attacked, he would receive 500 points of damage and lose, but on the other hand if he didn't attack it, if he chose to attack her other face-down card, then next turn she would just flip-summon her and he would lose anyway. So now the question became did he want to fall at her hand… or at his own? From the smirk on her face, Amara reached the same conclusion.

"Well, are you going to attack or not?" Amara asked.

Shaheen finally snapped, "I will not give you satisfaction!" He cried out. "Zera the Mant, attack her Princess of Tsurugi!" The large monster slashed the face-down card revealing her Princess. "I would rather lose by my own hands than by the hands of a worthless girl like you." The Princess's mist encircled Shaheen

(A: 400)  
(S: 0)

"Think whatever you want about me," Amara said. "But your boss is making a grave mistake in trying to outlaw Duel Monsters, plus he might be a murderer, so we must get to him and if that means breaking the rules, then so be it."

"Let's go, everyone," Yugi said. "We have to get to Hinxton fast. It's time to make him play by our rules."

"Right," everyone said and took off.

* * *

Though Hinxton didn't have a camera, he did hear them through his hidden speakers. He steeple his fingers, "Very well, Mister Moto, I'll play your game."

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Gravekeeper's Curse  
Level: 3  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 800  
DEF: 800

(2)  
Name: Pyramid Turtle  
Level: 4  
Type: Zombie/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1200  
DEF: 1400

(3)  
Name: Ryu Kokki  
Level: 6  
Type: Zombie/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2400  
DEF: 2000

(4)  
Name: Despair from the Dark  
Level: 8  
Type: Zombie/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2800  
DEF: 3000

(5)  
Name: Regenerating Mummy  
Level: 4  
Type: Zombie/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 1500

(6)  
Name: Invader of the Throne  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1350  
DEF: 1700

(7)  
Name: Grave Protector  
Level: 4  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 0  
DEF: 2000

(8)  
Name: Princess of Tsurugi  
Level: 3  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 900  
DEF: 700

(9)  
Name: Zera the Mant  
Level: 8  
Type: Fiend/Ritual  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2800  
DEF: 2300


	10. Battle of the Blue Eyes Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 273: Battle of the Blue-Eyes Pt 1: The Kaibaman

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Shaheen left the others to be buried only to find him self in deep trouble as he was confronted by a mysterious purple-cloaked figure. Using only Zombie-type monsters, the mysterious intruder defeated Shaheen. Yugi and Harold were able to get rid of the sand and after giving Amara a pep talk, they all agreed to stop playing by Hinxton's rules and start playing by their own. They escaped and Amara was given the opportunity for a rematch with Shaheen. This time, the tables were turned as Amara was the one who was keeping her cool and Shaheen, still reeling from his previous defeat, was ill-tempered. And thanks to her Penumbral Soldier Lady and Princess of Tsurugi, Amara won her rematch. However, if this Card Guard was strong enough to take out Amara, who could be strong enough to take on the next one?

* * *

Unknown to anyone, there was a second intruder inside Hinxton's castle home. Like the first one, the second intruder had been watching Yugi and his friends enter the front gate of Hinxton's mansion but lost them after they fell through the floor. He now wandered the ground floor of Hinxton's mansion. _Where are they? _The second intruder thought.

"Are we back on the ground floor?"

"Yes." 

"Okay, four Card Guards down, how many left, Faley?" 

"Only two, Harold, but trust me, they are no picnic."

"When are they ever?" Joey asked rhetorically. The group came out of a side hallway. Without glancing in the intruder's direction, they turned and continued down the hallway. After a pause, the intruder followed.

"Hey Yugi," Amara said. "Did you ever have that feeling that we're forgetting something?"

"I know what you mean, Amara, it does feel like we're missing something. But now isn't the time, we have to concentrate on finding Hinxton."

"That's right," Kevin said, "And once we do, we'll make him pay for everything."

"Kevin, are you sure you're up to it?" Tea asked. "Don't forget what happened to Amara, she let her anger control the way she dueled and she lost."

"Its okay, Tea, I'll try to keep a calm head. Plus don't forget, I was trained by the best."

"No offense, Kev, but if you're talking about Mai, don't forget that she lost to both Yugi and Joey," Tristan reminded him.

"Tristan, now is not the time to be bringing him down a peg," Tea scolded.

"Its okay, Tea, I understand," Kevin said. "Fortunately, I have a few new strategies lined up."

"Can't wait to see them," Joey said. But in his mind, he was thinking, _Kevin's pretty stoic but I can see right through him, he misses Mai more than anyone. Not that I blame him, Mai was one of the few Duelists I can duel my hardest with and still be friends at the same time. We didn't exactly part on good terms last time we met. I just hope we get to see her again._

The group skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway. A curved wall accented a large door. "This door leads up to Hinxton's private study," Faley explained.

Kevin pulled on the door but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked."

Tristan tried kicking it, but it held firm. "It's locked up tighter than Fort Knox."

"Follow me," Faley said. "There's a side entrance." She led everyone down a left hallway. Soon, the second intruder came up to the door. The intruder tried it and found it locked. _How annoying. _The intruder continued following Yugi and his friends.

Faley led the kids into a white room. "Just on the other side of this room is a door that'll lead to a staircase that'll take us up to the ramparts encircling Hinxton's private study. From there, it's a short catwalk to the front door."

"That's a door you shall never open," a new voice said.

"Oh crap, not him," Faley groaned. They turned and saw a man with long hair dressed in a black wetsuit. Faley's eyebrow twitched. "Gerard."

"How's it going, toots, weren't we supposed to be on a date today? I didn't know you were into younger men."

"Weren't you already taken?" Harold asked.

"Tell that to him. If you guys want to proceed, you'll have to get past him. Yugi, you better deal with him."

"How come?" Yugi asked.

"His deck contains an powerful monster, one that only you can deal with."

Gerard smirked. "Aww, Faley, you revealed my secret. Oh well, since the cat's out of the bag, I guess there's no harm in showing you my powerful monster." He removed a card from his Duel Disk and showed it to them.

They all gasped. "No, it can't be!"

"Not that monster!"

"How is it possible?"

The card Gerard was holding was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (1). "That's right, the one monster that even the King of Games had trouble beating, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"I thought there were only four made," Tea said.

"So did I," Yugi said. "Kaiba had three and my Grandpa has one but that one's never used. There's no way it can be real."

"But it is real. The four you are talking about are the production model Blue-Eyes White Dragons, but Pegasus always creates a prototype, a test version if you will, of each card, especially of cards as powerful as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And this particular prototype just happened to fall into my hands. And my deck is full of cards to support it. I am the true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

A harsh laugh echoed through the room, "You wouldn't know what to do with a Blue-Eyes if it was telling you what to do."

"Oh no, don't tell me it's…" Joey trailed off. They all turned to look behind them.

* * *

Hinxton gasped, "Crap, I was hoping to avoid dealing with him." He slid his chair over to a microphone.

* * *

Everyone watched as Seto Kaiba walked into the room. "Well, what do we have here? A Duel Monsters tournament, I guess my invitation must've been lost in the mail."

"Kaiba!"

"What's he doing here?" Joey asked.

"I don't remember passing him on our way in," Tristan said.

There was a click as Hinxton's voice came from an overhead speaker, "This is a private gathering. I don't recall inviting you, Seto Kaiba."

"I guess life's just full of disappointments, isn't it? But then again, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"Kaiba, how'd you find us here?" Yugi asked.

"I thought you dweebs were acting more freaky than usual so I followed you based on a hunch. And as usual, my hunches paid off. I knew about the prototype Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but I didn't expect to find it in the hands of an imbecile working for an imbecile."

"You dare call me an imbecile? I have more skill over my single Blue-Eyes White Dragon than you do with all three of yours."

"Bull," Kaiba spat. "There's only one master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and that's me!"

"Then why don't you put your cards where your mouth is."

"Fine, I will." Kaiba cast a side glance at Yugi. "Yugi, lend me your Duel Disk."

"Sure," Yugi said removing his Duel Disk and handing it to Kaiba.

"Thanks," Kaiba said taking out his deck. "This won't take long." He started to walk towards Gerard.

"Don't screw this up, rich boy," Joey called. "If you botch this up, we could be down here for the rest of our lives!"

Kaiba glared daggers at Joey, "What are you blabbing about, Wheeler?"

"That's what you get for being late to the party," Hinxton said. "Wheeler may be a moron, but he's right in this case. In the event that any of my Card Guards were to win, this lot would be trapped in my fortress for the rest of their lives! And by interfering, Seto Kaiba, you have tied your fate with theirs. I may have given you all a pass with Shaheen, but no more. Plus, if you lose, it will mean the end of the game of Duel Monsters."

"Ending Duel Monsters? You're just as insane as ever, Hinxton."

"I have your retched father to thank for that."

"We're not playing by your rules any more, Hinxton!" Yugi declared.

"Yeah, now you have to play by our rules," Joey said pushing up his sleeve.

"And I guarantee we'll be just as fair to you as you have been to us," Tristan threw in.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Gerard said. "If you want to get to Mr. Hinxton, you'll have to get past me."

"Gerard, beat them all!"

"Yes, sir," Gerard said. They met at the center, exchanged and shuffled their decks, then passed them back.

Returning to his side of the field, Kaiba said, "I have studied the Blue-Eyes White Dragon for years. I know its strengths and I've been shown its weaknesses."

"Then in that case, I'll go first," Gerard said. "Let's duel!"

(G: 4000)  
(K: 4000)

"You know what," Harold said. "I just realized where that missing feeling came from. We were in a Duel Monster's tournament and haven't run into Kaiba."

"Just our luck," Joey grumbled.

"I'll start off by summoning Kaibaman (2) in attack mode." Yugi and his friends gawked at the warrior monster. It was clad in a black shirt and slacks under a red v-neck shirt and white duster. Its long hair flowed out from behind a dragon-shaped helmet, its eyes covered by a mask.

It basically looked like Kaiba wearing a dragon mask.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"The joke's on you, rich boy, your Duel Disks have the ability to detect and play any valid card. And wouldn't you know, this card was printed just last week. And guess who got the first copy."

"I know Pegasus isn't evil or anything like that, but I still think he's got a few screws loose," Joey said. The others nodded.

"But wait, it gets better. You can probably figure out its special ability." Kaiba was silent. "Looks like you don't know, should've expected as much. By sacrificing it, I can summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaibaman disappeared and the familiar dragon appeared on the field.

_I never thought I'd meet someone who also has a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, _Kaiba thought. _Up until now, the only time I went up against Blue-Eyes is when someone took one of mine away from me._

"Fortunately for you, I can't attack on my first turn," Gerard said. "So I'll set one card face-down and end my turn.

Kaiba started his turn. _Well if he can summon his Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his first turn, then I can too. _"I play the magic card White Dragon Ritual which…"

"Not so fast, rich boy, I reveal my trap card Magic Jammer!" Gerard deposited a card in his graveyard. "Now, unless you can discard a magic card, the one you just played is negated and destroyed."

Kaiba looked through his hand but all he had were monsters and trap cards. He could only watch in horror as his ritual card was destroyed. "No matter, I can still summon my Blue-Eyes, I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (3) in defense mode. I'll also set one card face-down and end my turn."

_His Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two tributes when it's used to sacrifice a light attribute monster, _Gerard thought. _And that trap card must be designed to prevent it from being destroyed until he can use it during his next turn. But that won't happen. _Gerard drew a card, "Okay, I choose to attack your Kaiser Sea Horse with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The Blue-Eyes fired an energy blast which destroyed Kaiser Sea Horse. "So I'll just lay another face-down and end my turn."

Kaiba chuckled. "I thought you might do that," he said as he drew a card. "Which is why I set a trap card! Go, Call of the Haunted! This trap card lets me bring a monster back from the graveyard." Kaiser Sea Horse reappeared. "Looks like we'll get to see whose mastery of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the best."

"Why in such a hurry?" Gerard asked. "Activate trap card: Skill Drain!"

"Oh no, not that!"

"Skill Drain, what does that do?" Tristan asked.

"It cancels out all monsters' special abilities," Yugi explained. "And since he only has to pay 1000 life points to activate it."

(G: 3000)  
(K: 4000)

"It must be worth the investment."

"Now you can't use your Kaiser Sea Horse's special ability. Oh well, looks like no Blue-Eyes for you."

Kaiba growled, "This isn't over," he said. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Gerard started his turn and smirked. "You know what's coming next. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Kaiser Sea Horse with White Lightning!" Kaiba covered his eyes as the shattered remains of his monster flew by him.

(G: 3000)  
(K: 2700)

"So \who brought lunch?" Joey asked.

"Joey, you do know what happens if he loses?" Amara asked. "We'll never get to Hinxton."

"He rarely loses," Joey said. Under his breath, he added, "Which really pisses me off."

"Your move, rich boy."

Kaiba started his turn. "I play Monster Reincarnation, now by discarding a card I can bring a monster back to my graveyard." He looked at his two monsters, his Blue-Eyes and his Paladin of White Dragon (4). He slid his Blue-Eyes into the graveyard and took back his Kaiser Sea Horse. He then summoned it in defense mode.

"Defense mode? Oh, that's right, without his special ability, that's all he's pretty much good for." Gerard started his turn, "I play Dragon's Treasure to give my Blue-Eyes 300 extra attack points."

(BEWD: 3000-3300)

"Blue-Eyes, destroy that Sea Horse again. White Lightning!"

"Man, Kaiba's getting walloped by his own monster," Tristan said.

"It's not his own monster, its Gerard's," Yugi corrected.

"My mistake," Tristan said. "But it's hard to wrap my head around someone other than Kaiba playing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"What are you talking about? I took control of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes and so did Pegasus."

"But there's one big difference, Joey, and you pointed it out. You took control of Kaiba's. Gerard actually has a Blue-Eyes White Dragon of his very own. And just between you and me…" Yugi lowered his voice. "I think Kaiba feels intimidated at having someone other than him not only in possession of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but a master of it."

"As much as I want to grind that rich boy into the dirt, I kind of empathize with him," Joey said. "I'd be just as pissed if anyone other than me was using the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (5)."

"Or my Soldier Lady," Amara threw in.

"I end my turn."

_This clown doesn't know anything about the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, _Kaiba thought. _I am the master and once I win, I'll tear that dragon up so nobody else can use it against me. _He drew a card. "I activate my trap card: Birthright!"

"What?" Gerard gasped.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is my birthright, and I won't allow anyone to trample what I've worked so hard for! And this trap card brings my Blue-Eyes back to me straight from the graveyard." A large shaft of light opened up underneath Kaiba's side of the field. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared.

_He did get his Blue-Eyes to the field after all, _Gerard realized.

Kaiba just smirked.

"Go, Blue-Eyes," Tea cheered.

"Which one?" Harold asked.

"Um… Kaiba's, of course," Tea said reluctantly.

Gerard also smirked, "Well congratulations. Even without your Paladin and Kaiser Sea Horse, you were able to summon your Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But though our dragons are the same, their attack points are anything but. My dragon has 3300 attack points while yours only has 3000." He drew a card. "Which means you wasted that trap card for nothing! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack with White Lightning!"

"You're not thinking fourth dimensionally," Kaiba said and motioned to his other face-down card. "Go, trap card #2: Tyrant Wings! This gives my dragon an additional 400 attack points!"

(BEWD: 3000-3400)

"White Lightning attack!" Both Duelists cried. The two dragons exchanged blast fire and when it was over, Kaiba's dragon came out on top.

(G: 2900)  
(K: 2700)

"You see, a true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon knows how to use his deck in conjunction with it. If you support it, it will support you." 

Gerard just laughed, "I guess I should congratulate you, your Blue-Eyes did trump mine. But don't think that means you won the duel. I still have more life points than you and my turn is coming up. And trust me, this isn't the last you've heard of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I'll show you I'm the true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Blue-Eyes White Dragon  
Level: 8  
Type: Dragon  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 3000  
DEF: 2500

(2)  
Name: Kaibaman  
Level: 3  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 200  
DEF: 700

(3)  
Name: Kaiser Sea Horse  
Level: 4  
Type: Sea Serpent/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1700  
DEF: 1650

(4)  
Name: Paladin of White Dragon  
Level: 4  
Type: Dragon/Ritual/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 1200

(5)  
Name: Red-Eyes Black Dragon  
Level: 7  
Type: Dragon  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2400  
DEF: 2000


	11. Battle of the Blue Eyes Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 274: Battle of the Blue-Eyes Pt 2: Shining Defeat

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Just when it looked like they were finally getting their shot at Hinxton, the next Card Guard showed up: Gerard. Cocky, Gerard wasn't afraid to show the kids the highlight of his deck: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! That's right, Gerard's deck contained the prototype card of the dragon that both helped and hindered Yugi. Just when it seemed like the gang would have to rock-paper-scissors to see who would go up against him, who should show up but Seto Kaiba. Without too much of an argument, he leapt into the duel determined to pit his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons against Gerard's single one. But Gerard was determined not to let Kaiba summon his dragons so easily. He immediately summoned his own Blue-Eyes White Dragon using the monster Kaibaman, a new card developed by Industrial Illusions. He also took out Kaiba's Paladin of White Dragon and Kaiser Sea Horse. But thanks to a couple of trap cards, Kaiba was not only able to get his own Blue-Eyes onto the field, but destroy Gerard's. But you can bet that this duel is far from over.

* * *

Kaiba and Gerard were staring each other down like gunslingers. The only sound at that moment was the growl of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"What a move," Yugi said. "Kaiba sure takes his duels seriously."

"When does he not take them seriously?" Joey asked.

"Maybe when he duels you," Tristan pointed out.

"Yugi," Tea whispered. "I thought Kaiba's skills were top notch, so how come he's behind?"

(G: 2900)  
(K: 2700)

"To tell you the truth, Tea, I don't think he was planning on dueling today."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, he came in without even bringing his Duel Disk, he wasn't expecting a challenge, especially from someone wielding a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. That Kaibaman card also took him off guard for a second. But don't worry, Tea, if I know Kaiba, he won't let anyone, especially someone like Gerard, beat him."

"Now do you see that I'm the true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Kaiba asked.

"You're good with it, I'll give you that," Gerard said. "But I've spent long hard hours practicing with my Blue-Eyes, and I've learned how to bring out White Dragon's ultimate power!"

Kaiba shifted into a defensive stance. "Ultimate power?"

"That just proves you're no master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, for with one card I'll defeat your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Impossible!"

"I'll show you," Gerard drew a card. "I play Pot of Greed, so I draw two more cards."

"I thought you said you needed only one card to beat me?"

"One card to beat your Blue-Eyes," Gerard corrected. "But first, I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field!" A shaft of light produced Gerard's Blue-Eyes. "And now, the card that will destroy your Blue-Eyes! Go, Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"What's that?"

"An ancient power that can only be bestowed upon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Blue-Eyes, attack his trap cards!" The dragon rose into the air and fired a ball of energy which destroyed Birthright and Tyrant Wings. "And when your Birthright goes, so does your dragon!" Kaiba's Blue-Eyes cried out as it broke apart.

"Blue-Eyes!" Kaiba cried.

"Fortunately for you, I can't attack with my Blue-Eyes on the turn I play Burst Stream. So I end my turn there. So pathetic, allowing your Blue-Eyes to be destroyed by one card. Maybe you don't deserve the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Kaiba just drew a card, "I set one card face-down."

_With his life points the way they are, I could easily finish him off. Nah, where's the fun in that? Let's see what you have planned, rich boy. _Gerard drew a card, "I also set a card face-down. Is that all you got?"

"Not yet," Kaiba said. "I set another card face-down."

As Gerard drew a card, a sparkle appeared in his eye, _Ah, this will be perfect, the perfect combo to finish off that rich brat once and for all. _"Blue-Eyes, get ready to attack!"

"Activate face-down cards: Emergency Provisions and Jar of Greed!" Kaiba commanded.

"So that's what you have planned, well I have something better. Open face-down cards: Chain Detonation and Miraculous Rebirth!"

"What?"

"Death and life are what we all have in common," Gerard said. "And life begins at birth, so with Miraculous Rebirth, I can bring a monster out from your graveyard! And I choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba's dragon appeared on Gerard's side of the field.

"But you already have a Blue-Eyes," Kaiba protested as the combo finished. Kaiba gained 1000 life points and an extra card from his but Gerard's Chain Detonation hit Kaiba for 500 points."

(G: 2900)  
(K: 3200)

"I'm confused," Joey said.

"So what else is new?" Amara asked sarcastically.

"I mean someone tell me why that Card Guard took Kaiba's dragon when he already had one of his own?"

Yugi gasped, "I know what he's trying to do!"

"So spill the beans."

"Think about it, why does Kaiba carry three Blue-Eyes in his deck? Three level 8 monsters."

"It would be difficult to summon even one level 8 monster, let alone three. There's only one purpose for three Blue-Eyes White Dragons," Amara said beginning to catch on.

Tea caught on too, "To combine them.'

"Right," Yugi said. "He's trying to summon the Ultimate Dragon!"

Everyone gasped.

Gerard chuckled, "I see how it was Yugi who became the King of Games and not you, Rich Boy. That's right, what better way to take you out then with your own prized fusion monster. But in the mean time, here's a taste of things to come. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack your former monster! White Lightning!" Kaiba was engulfed in the attack from his own monster.

(G: 2900)  
(K: 200)

"I could just finish you off right now, but what fun would that be. I think I'll wait and finish you off with your Ultimate Dragon."

Kaiba looked up at his White Dragon. The dragon's roar, it almost sounded mournful. _How odd, it sounds like the Blue-Eyes is crying… is Gerard's Duel Disk malfunctioning? No, it's almost the Blue-Eyes is punishing me, for letting it fall under Gerard's control. How ridiculous, but… I was unable to prevent it from being stolen, if it was alive, it would probably be upset with me, I know I would._

_"Yugi," _Yami called. _"Switch with me, I know a way to bring Kaiba out of his funk."_

_"All right."_

"Giving up, Rich Boy? Don't forget, if you lose, you and your little troupe would be stuck down here forever." Gerard's laugh was sick to Kaiba's stomach.

"Get up, Seto Kaiba, since when do you bow to your rivals?" Kaiba looked up to see Yami standing over him, arms crossed.

"Never, I bow to nobody, Yugi," Kaiba said.

"Tell me, Kaiba, when you fought me at Duelist Kingdom, was it your Blue-Eyes White Dragon who defeated me or was it your dueling skills?"

"What kind of a stupid question is that? It was my dueling skill!"

"Really, because from this angle, it looked like you didn't have any skill."

"How dare you!"

"Was it your Blue-Eyes White Dragon that defeated me or was it your skill? Was it your Blue-Eyes White Dragon that got you third in the Battle City tournament or was it your skill? Was it your Blue-Eyes White Dragon who made you one of the top Duelists in the world? Or was it your skill as a Duelist?"

_As much as I hate to admit it, Yugi's right, I've been winning duels without my Blue-Eyes as much as I've been winning with them. If I'm going to have any chance of coming out on top, I'm going to have to not rely so much on my Blue-Eyes, and start relying on my dueling skills._

"Now get up and prove that you're one of the top Duelists in the land!"

Kaiba got up, "Yugi, I don't appreciate being badgered, but you're right, I am the top Duelist! And now I'll prove it by using my skills to rid your field of my Blue-Eyes!"

"It's not your Blue-Eyes any more, it's mine!"

"A fool like you has no right to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! You will fall!" Kaiba drew a card. "And it starts with this: Card of Demise!"

"So you get five new cards. Big deal, you lose them in five turns."

"Hah, I won't even need three turns to defeat you," Kaiba said. He threw his remaining card into the graveyard and drew five new cards. "Are you familiar with this monster?" He showed Gerard the card, a green serpentine creature.

"Thunder Dragon (1), huh? Too bad you can't use its special ability."

"But I can," Kaiba said.

"But… my trap!"

"Only affects monsters on the field, but Thunder Dragon won't even touch the field, because by sending it to the Graveyard I get two more. You see, the Blue-Eyes aren't the only dragons that I have three of. I also have three Thunder Dragons, but I'm only going to need two."

* * *

In his study, Hinxton steeple his hands and rested his elbows on the arm rest of his chair. _That's just like a Kaiba, _he thought. _Instead of keeping your tools around, you use them then throw them away._

* * *

_"You're letting me go?"_

_"That's right, Hinxton, I'm terminating your employment at Kaiba Corp."_

_"Don't I at least have the right to know why I'm being terminated?"_

_Gozaburo Kaiba turned in his seat to face the large back window. "If I had my way, I would throw you out on general principles, but we both know why you're being let go."_

_"Don't tell me you believe that hogwash! I was nowhere near the Doctor!"_

_"Then tell me where you were three nights ago."_

_"I was at home."_

_"Can you prove it?"_

_"Come on, it's not like I just have pictures of myself lying at home with me!"_

_Gozaburo turned back to face him, "The only reason you're the only one going down is because Johnson was able to convince the prosecutors that what you did was your own doing and that Kaiba Corp was not involved in any way."_

_SLAM_

_"You idiot, you used your hotshot corporate lawyer to set me up!"_

_"You're the one who committed murder and you're calling me an idiot? I am simply looking out for what is best for this company." He turned around in his chair again. "Your job here has been terminated, I suggest you clean out your desk A.S.A.P."_

_"Mister Kaiba, I've been head of your liaison department for years now! I've never questioned anything you've done! Are you going to ignore my unyielding devotion just to save your hyde? YOU CAN'T THROW ME OUT!"_

_"You're right, why soil my own hands when I can get someone else to do them for me. Guards, take him away!"_

* * *

_My life fell apart after that. No job, nobody to depend on, nothing. As Gozaburo Kaiba had done to so many in the past, he threw me out like yesterday's garbage. For weeks I wondered the streets as a vagabond, taking whatever measly charity was granted to me. Then something happened. There was this flash of light that struck me, and when it was over, it was like I was looking at myself for the first time. It was from there that I worked my way back up to where I am now._

_Now, Gozaburo's son is about to employ the same discard tactics his father used against me._

* * *

"You want to see a fusion monster, Gerard? I'll show you a fusion monster, I play Polymerization to fuse my two Thunder Dragons together to form Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (2)!" An orange two-headed dragon with horns on the noses appeared. "And next I play the magic card Megamorph!"

"That doubles Kaiba's monster's attack points," Harold explained. "About time something went right for him."

(THTD: 2800-5600)

"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The two-headed dragon launched a humungous orange energy blast from both heads which evaporated Kaiba's Blue-Eyes.

(G: 300)  
(K: 200)

"So you destroy your Blue-Eyes just to prevent a real expert from using it? That's selfish of you, Rich Boy!" Kaiba growled. Gerard drew a card. "I, however, am more tolerant towards my Blue-Eyes. I play A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon! Now by returning my Blue-Eyes to my hand, I can destroy all magic and trap cards on the field. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon lost its power up.

(THTD: 5600-2800)

"Next I play the magic card the Warrior Returning Alive to bring back my Kaibaman!"

"Not that thing again," Kaiba groaned.

"For once, I agree with Kaiba," Joey said.

"You know what's coming next. I summon Kaibaman in attack mode and activate his special ability sacrificing him to re-summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Blue-Eyes, attack his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and end this duel! White Lightning Attack!"

"I don't think so," Kaiba said. "You see, there has only been one Duelist worthy of defeating me." He cast a side glance at Yami. "And that's Yugi Moto. And until I beat him again, I won't allow anyone else to defeat me. What Yugi lacks in skill he more than makes up for it in strategy, a strategy like this: activate De-Fusion!" Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon separated into two separate Thunder Dragons which Kaiba summoned in defense mode. The White Lightning blast struck one of the Thunder Dragons destroying that. "Are you done?" Kaiba asked.

"I'm done," Gerard said. "But so are you, because you can't win without your Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"It's because of my Blue-Eyes that I strive to be the very best! I worked hard to prove myself worthy of the dragons of destruction and I do not let anyone down." Kaiba said and drew a card. He gasped as he felt a tiny jolt of electricity shoot through his body. _Could it be?_

He wasn't the only one who felt it. _"Hey Pharaoh, you feel that?" _Yugi asked.

_"I sure do. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has rewarded Kaiba for his faith." _

_This card! I thought it was lost forever!_ _Maybe it's time I reveal the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's final form._

"Nothing good, huh, Rich Boy?"

"Quite the opposite, I finally have proof that I am the true master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"And what's that?"

"The Blue-Eyes' final form!"

"There's no such thing."

"Actually, there is," Yami said. "But as they say, some stuff is better seen and not heard." He glanced in Kaiba's direction and offered a smirk.

Kaiba returned it with one of his own, "I agree, rather than just tell you, how about I show you?" He added the card he drew to his hand and took another card. "I play Graceful Charity, so I draw three additional cards and discard two in return, and I'm going to show you which cards I choose to discard." He held out his two remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"But then all three of your dragons will be in the graveyard," Gerard said. "That move doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does, if you've seen what I've drawn. You wanted to see my Ultimate Dragon? Well, you're about to get your wish! I play the magic card Dragon's Mirror!" A large mirror appeared on Kaiba's side of the field. "Now all I have to do is remove my three dragons from my graveyard and I get to summon it."

"Oh no, not that!"

"That's right, my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (3)!" The mirror shattered revealing a three-headed version of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. "You see, Gerard, I do respect my Blue-Eyes, meaning I would do anything to keep them out of your hands, including making them unavailable to me as well."

"Well your Ultimate Dragon is about to become unavailable to you as well, for I activate the trap Power Limiter! Now if you attack with a monster that is at least 1000 points stronger than mine, you lose life points equal to the difference between the attack points of the two monsters."

"That's all right, because now I have an excuse to show you the Blue-Eyes' final form!"

"Impossible! There's no such thing."

"I see we have a non-believer, well, let's show him shall we? To begin, I need to send my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to the graveyard." The Ultimate Dragon started to shatter. "Now behold the most powerful dragon in Duel Monsters, a card so rare and legendary that it can only be wielded by a true master of the White Dragon: The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon (4)!" The dragon's shell shattered revealing an incredible white dragon covered in armor. Blue lines ran along it like veins.

* * *

Hinxton was gasping heavily. He leaned on his desk, standing out of his chair. "No, not that, anything but that…" He quickly shut off the monitor and sat back covering his head in his hands. "No, I don't want to face that again!"

* * *

_Kaiba was right, _Gerard thought. _There really is a level beyond the Ultimate Dragon. _Even though he was nervous, he tried not to show it. "Your new dragon doesn't look any stronger than your Blue-Eyes!"

"Well that's because you haven't seen its special ability yet. It gains 300 attack points for every dragon-type monster in my graveyard."

"Wait," Joey said. "Since he removed his White Dragons from the graveyard that means that the only dragons he has left are…"

"His Ultimate Dragon and his Paladin," Amara filled in. "Two monsters, which means Shining Dragon gains 600 attack points, the perfect amount to win the duel and still be immune to Power Limiter."

(BESD: 3000-3600)

"Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, show this fool just who the true master of the Blue-Eyes is: Shining Neutron Blast!" The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon spread its wings as its body started to glow intensely. The body shot out a flash of light which engulfed both Gerard and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

(G: 0)  
(K: 200)

As Kaiba took one last look at the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, he thought he saw something odd: the dragon nodding. Then the Duel Disks shut off and the legendary dragon disappeared.

"Phew," Joey said. "Well, that's the end of that. Not a half-bad duel."

Kaiba just went up to Gerard and took out the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He noticed something. "The edges are worn," he said. "It looks like somebody hasn't been treating his Blue-Eyes as well as he boasted." He ripped the card in two. "Serves you right."

"My Blue-Eyes, my precious Blue-Eyes, you tore it up, how could you?"

"Oh quit your whining," Kaiba said. "Here, I'll give you this card." He dropped a card into Gerard's open palm. Gerard looked at the card and he bugged out. "This card… this card… THIS CARD!"

"What card did you give him, Kaiba?" Harold asked as Kaiba returned Yugi's Duel Disk to him.

"Just a throw away card, since it wouldn't have worked with my deck, I don't think it would work with his either."

"Easy come, easy go," Harold said shrugging.

"Hey everybody," Faley called. "The door's open, let's go!"

"Not me," Kaiba said. "I'm out of here."

"Hey Kaiba," Faley called. "It's quicker to go this way than to go back through the mansion."

Kaiba sighed, "Fine, at least I got rid of any competition." And he followed the others out leaving Gerard screaming in anger and staring at the card which he promptly ripped in two.

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Thunder Dragon  
Level: 5  
Type: Thunder/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1600  
DEF: 1500

(2)  
Name: Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon  
Level: 7  
Type: Thunder/Fusion  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2800  
DEF: 2100

(3)  
Name: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon  
Level: 11  
Type: Dragon/Fusion  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 4500  
DEF: 3800

(4)  
Name: Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon  
Level: 10  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 3000  
DEF: 2500


	12. Amazon Attack Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 275: Amazon Attack Pt 1: Battle on the Ramparts

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Kaiba was able to summon his Blue-Eyes White Dragon only to have Gerard take it away from him with a magic card. Kaiba was starting to question whether he was worthy of wielding even one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, let alone the three that Mokuba gave him so long ago. But Yami was able to remind Kaiba that it wasn't his Blue-Eyes White Dragons that made him (one of) the top Duelists in the world, but his intelligence and skills with his deck. Kaiba was able to summon the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon using it to overcome Gerard's White Dragon. Now there's just one Card Guard left, but it's not who you might think… or maybe it is.

* * *

"Now that Seto Kaiba has joined their ranks and most of my Card Guards have been defeated, it's only a matter of time before they come here seeking me," Hinxton said. "I may not be able to stop them but before I face them I must see the Hunter boy duel." He turned to the only member of the Card Guard who hadn't lost. "Go and do everything in your power to make sure it was the Hunter boy you duel…" As the Card Guard turned to leave, Hinxton held up his hand, "No, wait just go out there, I'll be sure to arrange it so that you face Kevin Hunter." The last of the Card Guards turned and walked out. "Don't lose, no matter what," Hinxton muttered.

* * *

Faley, Yugi, and his friends emerged from a tower to the ramparts. "Fresh air at last," Tristan sighed contentedly. He then noticed something. "Hey, guys, check it out."

"The sun's almost down," Tea said. "Have we really been underground for so long?"

"The longer you geeks keep staring at the scenery it'll be tomorrow by the time you leave."

"Remind me, what are you still doing here?" Joey asked Kaiba.

"I'd tell you but you'd forget," Kaiba retorted.

"Can you two put a rain date on your arguing?" Harold asked. "We got company."

Standing on the precipice leading to the central tower was a woman dressed in a white vest and skirt. Her head was covered by a purple motorcycle helmet.

"This must be the last of the Card Guards," Amara guessed.

"Faley, who is she?" Tea asked.

"To be honest, hun, I got no clue."

"Huh? But aren't you teammates?"

"Yeah, but… she never talks, never takes off her helmet, and only takes orders from Hinxton. She kind of joined up with us at the last minute. We call her Doe, you know, short for Jane Doe."

"I don't care if she's the Queen of Sheeba," Kevin said. "Nobody's going to stop me from finding out the truth." He marched forward.

"Wait, Kevin," Yugi called. "Hinxton wants you to duel so he can know your strategy! Let me or Harold duel him!" But as Yugi moved to follow Kevin, there was a slight rumbling. A glass panel rose up blocking Kevin from the others.

"It was a trap," Tristan cried.

"What was your first clue, Taylor?" Kaiba asked.

Doe pointed a finger at Kevin and activated her Duel Disk, which resembled the ones wore by Yugi and the others.

"We don't have much of a choice here," Yugi said. "Kevin has to beat her to get to Hinxton… or to escape."

"Fine," Kevin said and activated his Duel Disk. As Kevin grabbed five cards from his deck, he stared at Doe's helmet-covered face. _This is weird, _he thought. _I've never seen her before, she hasn't even said a word and we're already dueling. Still… why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before? _"Time to duel!"

(K: 4000)  
(D: 4000)

"I'm not going to let anybody stop me from getting to Hinxton," Kevin said starting his turn. "I summon Sonic Shooter (1) in attack mode."

"A Winged-Beast deck," Yugi realized noticing the muscular bird man.

"Well it makes sense," Harold said. "He is Mai's cousin, after all."

Doe's eyes narrowed underneath her motorcycle helmet. She drew a card from her deck and summoned a gray-haired woman in fur robes.

"Amazon Archer (2)," Yugi recognized. "Doe must want to test Kevin's skills."

Amazon Archer cocked an arrow and released it destroying Sonic Shooter.

(K: 3900)  
(D: 4000)

Doe placed a card face-down and motioned Kevin to go.

"Well I'm about to show her how serious I am," Kevin said. "I attack you with Wind Effigy (3)!" A tornado was launched towards Amazon Archer.

Doe shook her head and activated her face-down card, a magic card showing a charging bull.

"Oh no, Rush Recklessly," Amara realized. "That gives Amazon Archer an additional 700 attack points!"

(AA: 1400-2100)

Amazon Archer cocked another arrow and fired. A burst of feathers exploded from the tornado and the wind died down.

(K: 3600)  
(D: 4000)

"Nuts," Kevin said. "I end my turn."

(AA: 2100-1400)

"That was weird," Joey said. "It's like she knew what Kevin was going to do."

"Well he was hardly trying to disguise his move," Kaiba pointed out.

"Even so, Doe would've had to know about Kevin's moves at the same time he did," Yugi argued.

Doe started her turn and summoned a woman wearing black and carrying a sword.

"That's The Unfriendly Amazon (4)," Yugi pointed out.

"Wait a minute," Joey said. "Didn't Mai use a card like that during Battle City?"

"You're right, Joey," Yugi confirmed. "Mai used that card along with her Harpies in her duel against Marik."

"Amazons are often part of a theme deck," Faley explained. "Most of us Card Guards use theme decks. I have Dark World cards, Titan uses Archfiends, Shaheen uses Gravekeepers, Crowler uses Ancient Gears."

"And this chick uses Amazon monsters," Tristan said. "They must have some kind of weakness, Faley."

"I don't think so," Faley said. "Unlike Titan's Archfiends, which requires you to pay life points, I don't think Amazons have any notable weakness."

"I guess the only thing Kevin can do is get out stronger monsters," Tea said.

Unfriendly Amazon and Amazon Archer both attacked Kevin forcing him to brace against the glass barrier separating him from the others.

(K: 200)  
(D: 4000)

"Doe has played a flawless game so far," Yugi said as Doe laid a card face-down. "But I haven't seen her before today." He turned to Kaiba, "Have you heard of any Duelists using Amazon decks?"

"No," Kaiba replied matter-of-factly. "And that bothers me. I know every professional Duelist in the world and dueled against a good number of them, and none of them who have used Amazon monsters are professional level. The only one that came close is Valentine as you said."

_Wow, only 200 points left and I haven't been able to touch her, _Kevin thought. _Up to now, the only person who I hven't been able to beat yet is Mai. And if I want to get to Hinxton, I'll have to make it stay that way. _"Here I go." Kevin drew a card. "First I'll activate the magic card Cost Down. Now by ditching a card, all monster levels in my hand are lowered by two. So now I can summon Swift Birdman Joe (5) without a sacrifice. Now attack her Amazon Archer." Joe delivered a chop to Amazon Archer's neck destroying her.

(K: 200)  
(D: 3100)

"I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

As Doe started her turn, The Unfriendly Amazon suddenly keeled over and exploded. "All right, with no monsters to sacrifice, Doe can't maintain having her on the field," Yugi explained. Then Doe activated her trap card Call of the Haunted and the Unfriendly Amazon reappeared. "Except by that," Yugi amended. Then Doe summoned another monster.

"What monster is that?" Amara asked.

"It's called Amazoness Blowpiper (6)," Kaiba explained. "And it can lower a monster's attack points by 500."

Then Doe played a magic card that had a picture of Amazons on it.

"And that?" Tea asked.

"Don't you geeks know anything?"

"Well excuse me for not being an omnipotent Duel Monsters expert," Tea snapped.

"It's called Amazoness Spellcasters," Yugi explained for Tea. "It can switch two monsters' attack points."

(SBJ: 2300-800)  
(AB: 800-2300)

Unfriendly Amazon leapt at Swift Birdman Joe.

"If this attack hits, it's all over," Yugi said.

"Activate trap card: Icarus Attack!" Lightning bolts engulfed each of the monsters. "By sacrificing Joe, I can destroy two cards on the field, like your two monster cards!"

"Good save," Yugi said.

"But how long can he keep it up?" Joey asked.

_There is definitely something weird about her, _Kevin thought. _She's definitely not like the other Card Guards. _"It's my move," Kevin announced as he drew a card. "I remove Sonic Shooter from the graveyard to summon Silpheed (7) in attack mode. Now attack her directly!" The masked woman swung her wand and produced a gust. Doe dug her hand into the floor to brace herself.

(K: 200)  
(D: 1400)

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Hinxton steeple his hands, "Poor Hunter, he has no idea of the force he is battling. I've deliberately held 'Doe' in reserve because I know of her record. Oh if he only knew the truth behind the helmet."

Doe stared curiously at Kevin's face-down cards, obviously trying to consider how much of a threat they really were.

"Hey!" Kevin called. Doe looked up at him. "Why don't you take off your helmet so we can see your face?" Doe just drew a card. "This whole silent treatment isn't really working. Up to now, you've been using cards I've recognized." _Cards that cousin Mai showed me right before she left for Battle City. _"But if you play a card I don't recognize, how can I trust that you're not performing an illegal move. If there's one trait that all Duelists share, it's their honesty and forwardness. But you're hiding behind a mask like a coward. Why don't you take off your mask and duel in the open like a true Duelist."

Doe just slid Pot of Greed into her Duel Disk and activated it.

"I guess you were right, Faley," Tea said. "She really does listen to nobody."

"Nobody except Hinxton that is," Faley reminded them.

She took two new cards from her deck. The next magic card she activated was Premature Burial which she used to resurrect Amazoness Paladin.

(K: 200)  
(D: 600)

Then she summoned a tiger.

"That's not an Amazon," Joey said.

"Once again, Wheeler, you're wrong," Kaiba said. "It's called Amazoness Tiger (8) and its attack points increases for every Amazon monster on the field."

"Not only that, but Paladin can do the same thing by 100 points," Amara added.

(AP: 1700-1900)  
(AT: 1100-1900)

"Doesn't matter what card she uses now, it's all over," Harold said.

Amazoness Tiger leapt at Silpheed.

"I reveal my trap card Draining Shield," Kevin cried. The Amazon warrior hit a shield. "Not only does Draining Shield stop your attack, but I gain life points equal to your monster's attack points."

(K: 2100)  
(D: 600)

Amazoness Tiger leapt over Paladin and sliced Silpheed.

(K: 1900)  
(D: 600)

"Bad move, Doe, you just activated Silpheed's special ability! When she's sent to the graveyard, you have to discard one card from your hand." Doe did so.

(K: 1900)  
(D: 1600)

"So anything else you'd like to do?" Doe shook her head. "Fine, so it's my move." He drew a card. "I reveal my trap card Jar of Greed which lets me draw a second card." He took another card from his deck. "Next I play Pot of Greed so I draw two more cards." He did so. "Okay, this will be tricky, but with only one card in her hand and two monsters, I think I can do this. First I'll remove one Silpheed from the game to summon another to the field. Next I sacrifice that Silpheed…" The monster disappeared just as soon as it appeared. "To summon Cyber-Tech Alligator (8) in attack mode." A cyborg reptile appeared. "This should end the duel. Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack Amazoness Tiger!" The cyborg slashed the tiger and the tiger fell.

(K: 1900)  
(D: 1000)

(AP: 1900-1800)

"It's all over," Joey cheered.

"Look again," Kaiba said. "Doe's life points went down to 1000."

"But her life points were at 600 just a moment ago," Joey protested.

"What happened?" Tristan wondered.

_"It was her card," _Yami explained to Yugi.

_"What do you mean?"_

_"The card that Kevin made Doe discard due to Silpheed's effect must've had an effect that let her gain 1000 life points when discarded by an effect. It's the only explanation."_

_"Oh." _Yugi called to the others, "Guys, I think it was that card that Doe put in the graveyard."

"You thought so too?" Kaiba asked. "Doe chose to discard that particular card in order to activate its effect. She gained 1000 life points raising her life points from 600 to 1600."

"Nuts," Joey grumbled. "Kevin almost had her."

"He's still all right, Joey," Yugi said. "Doe can't use Tiger's ability any more. Plus even if she does resurrect it from the graveyard, she would need to summon two more monsters to make it strong enough to beat Cyber-Tech Alligator. And by the time she does so, Kevin would've just destroyed it again anyway."

"But what about her Paladin?" Tea asked.

"Even with her field filled up, Paladin's attack points would stop at 2200. Looks like Hunter gained himself an advantage," Kaiba critiqued.

"Yeah, but for how long?" Yugi wondered.

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Sonic Shooter  
Level: 4  
Type: Winged-Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1300  
DEF: 600

(2)  
Name: Amazon Archer  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1000

(3)  
Name: Wind Effigy  
Level: 4  
Type: Winged-Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 200

(4)  
Name: The Unfriendly Amazon  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 1000

(5)  
Name: Swift Birdman Joe  
Level: 6  
Type: Winged-Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 1400

(6)  
Name: Silpheed  
Level: 4  
Type: Fairy/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1700  
DEF: 700

(7)  
Name: Amazoness Tiger  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1100  
DEF: 1500

(8)  
Name: Cyber-Tech Alligator  
Level: 5  
Type: Machine  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 2500  
DEF: 1600


	13. Amazon Attack Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 276: Amazon Attack Pt 2: Storming the Tower

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! On a bridge connecting Hinxton's private tower with the rest of his castle home, Yugi and the others came across the final Card Guard, known simply as Doe, a woman of few words, actually a woman of no words. Hinxton forced a divider between Kevin and the others so he would have no choice but to duel Doe. Proving that he was Mai's relative, Kevin set his Winged-Beast deck against Doe's Amazon deck. Doe took an early lead knocking Kevin down to 200 life points. But Kevin quickly rebounded. Now each of them has one monster and little life points remaining. Who is the mysterious Doe and what are her reasons for dueling on Hinxton's side?

* * *

Andros leaned in to the monitor where he was watching the duel between Kevin and Doe. "This has been very informative," he said. "Thanks to Ms. Doe, I'm getting full insight into Kevin Hunter's deck. Adam Hunter was always a fool, thinking what I wanted would be safe in the hands of a child. Well, child or adult it doesn't matter. I will destroy whoever keeps me from what I want. Nobody is safe." At that moment, the camera focused in on Yugi. "Not even the King of Games. Soon, Mister Moto, you too will give me what I have been waiting a long time for."

* * *

_I don't understand her, _Kevin thought. _She's aloof, almost moody, and a Duelist to the tenth power. She's certainly not like Cousin Mai._ _I wonder what she has planned next. _Doe summoned a new Amazon monster in defense mode,

Kevin gasped, "Oh no, not that Amazon."

"Yugi, is that what I think it is?" Joey asked.

"This isn't good," Yugi said. "That's Amazon Chain Master (1). If destroyed, it will allow Doe to take a card from Kevin's deck."

"But Doe doesn't have a whole lot of points left," Tristan said. "So maybe he should attack."

(K: 1900)  
(D: 1000)

_Cousin Mai once told me about that card. It's very important in that it can destroy your opponent's strategy while building up your own power. But it's in defense mode so if I destroy it, it can't affect her life points. But if I do, she gets a card from my deck. Think, Kevin, what would Mai do in a case like this? _Kevin drew a card. _Even if she does get a card from my deck… _He laid it face-down. _At least I'll gain something too, a gander at who she really is. _"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack her Chain Master now!" The cyborg alligator swung its cybernetic claw and sliced Chain Master in half. "I know what you want, you want a card from my deck." Kevin stepped across the field. He removed his deck and fanned out the cards. "Go ahead, pick one."

Doe took the deck and looked through it a couple of times.

"Sheesh, what's taking her so long?" Joey asked.

"She's probably having a hard time choosing what card to pick," Amara figured.

"Seems like she's looking for something specific," Kaiba deduced.

"But she couldn't have done that unless she has prior knowledge of Kevin's deck," Yugi argued. "Kevin, did you change your deck since Battle City?"

"A little," Kevin said. "I added some new cards but the only card that really got removed was Harpie's Brother (2)."

"Oh yeah, that was Kevin's favorite card and it was torn up by Mai when she was working for Doma," Joey reminded the others. "Could that be what she's looking for?"

_If Joey is right, then somehow Doe has known about me ever since Battle City, _Kevin thought. Doe had decided on taking Kevin's Axe of Despair magic card. She set a card face-down and ended her turn. _Nuts, I couldn't get to see her face because her visor is tinted, so much for that plan. No worries, As soon as I attack again, I'll win, maybe I'll knock her helmet off. _"Cyber-Tech Alligator, end this game now!"

Doe revealed her trap card Sakuretsu Armor, which destroyed Cyber-Tech Alligator. "I set a monster card face-down and end my turn."

Doe drew a card and summoned Amazoness Swords Woman (3) in attack mode and equipped it with Kevin's Axe of Despair."

(ASW: 1500-2500)

"Could this end the duel?" Harold asked.

"Not with his monster in defense mode," Kaiba pointed out.

Amazoness Swords Woman slashed the monster which turned out to be Slate Warrior (3).

(ASW: 2500-2000)

_No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to beat her._

Tea noticed that Kevin's hand was trembling. "Kevin, don't give up," she called. "Don't forget what's at stake, if you win you get to confront Hinxton and find out what happened to your father."

Doe actually recoiled. She cast a side glance at the tower.

* * *

Hinxton sighed, "Stupid girl and her big mouth."

* * *

"Tea's right," Kevin muttered. "Hinxton knows who murdered my father, he may even had a hand in it. I have to get through her to get to him. For the memory of my father and for the pride of my Duelist, I must win! I draw!"

Doe laid her hand on top of her Duel Disk.

"She surrendered!" Faley gasped.

"Why would any self-respecting Duelist do that?" Kaiba wondered.

"Maybe Kevin's plight penetrated that thick helmet of hers," Joey said.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew such big words, Wheeler."

"I was reading a dictionary before we left."

(K: 1900)  
(D: X)

"Finally, we beat all of the Card Guards," Tristan said. He started to walk forward but slammed into the wall. "But Hinxton still won't lower this stupid glass wall."

"Stand back, dorks, let a man do this."

"All right, you convinced me, I'll do it," Joey said.

"All three of us will do it," Harold said. He, Joey, and Kaiba rushed forward and kicked the door. A large crack appeared. "One more time!" The three lunged at it again and this time the glass screen shattered.

"Good job, guys," Yugi said.

Kevin looked back at Doe. She was down on her knees, almost like she was defeated by Kevin. As Kevin passed by Doe, he said, "Thank you, you don't realize how much you've helped me. I hope we can duel again and have a proper duel, but right now I need to find out what Hinxton knows about my father." And he continued towards the tower followed by the others.

* * *

Hinxton growled angrily as he switched off his monitor. "So even my secret weapon failed me, no matter, she served her purpose. At least I have a good idea of what Hunter's deck entails." He got up and took a key out of his desk drawer to open another drawer. He took out a deck. "And I have a feeling he has the card I need to complete the set. Soon, my revenge will be complete."

* * *

Inside the tower were two spiral staircases, one leading down and the other leading up. "So which way do we go, up or down?" Yugi asked.

"A guy with Hinxton's ego, I'd say head straight to the top," Joey said. They all started going up.

"Hey Kevin, I hope you're ready for this," Yugi said. "Because of your duel against Doe, Hinxton now has an idea of your deck."

"Don't worry, Yugi," Kevin said. "I have a few cards that Hinxton doesn't know about. He took his side deck and began switching cards out. "And the best part is they deviate from my usual deck so he'll be completely surprised."

"Good, you're going to need every advantage you can get."

"What's up, Yugi?" Tea asked. "You seem more apprehensive than Kevin."

"Well, something's been bothering me," Yugi said. "This whole thing seems a little too elaborate for a PR campaign. I mean using the very game he's trying to destroy against us, recruiting Card Guards who use advance decks. Hinxton is after something else."

"What about that Exodia head?" Joey asked.

"Joey, that may be it," Yugi said. "Hinxton wants your Exodia piece."

"But why would he want it unless…"

"Unless he has the other four pieces," Kaiba filled in.

"If all this is true, then Kevin could be walking into a trap," Tea said. She turned to Faley. "Faley, is that true?"

"To be honest, hun, I'm not sure, when we were hired, Hinxton only told us to beat all Duelists trying to approach him. But considering how rich he is and how powerful he is, finding four pieces of Exodia shouldn't be too hard of a task."

"Kevin, you stay here," Yugi said. "I'll go confront Hinxton. He has something I need anyway."

"No, Yugi, I'm going," Kevin said and continued up the stairs.

"But Kevin, you're doing precisely what Hinxton wants you to do."

"And it's what I want to do too. Yugi, I owe it. I owe it to me, I owe it to Mai, and I especially owe it to my father to confront him."

"Forget it, Yugi," Harold said. "If there's one thing Kevin and Mai have in common, it's their stubbornness to back down. The only thing we can do is back him up the best we can."

Finally they arrived at the top of the steps. A set of double wooden doors stood before them. Yugi and Kevin opened the doors. The entire area was about the size of a racket ball court. The ceiling was steeple.

Hinxton was standing at the other end. He turned around and there was a big smile on his face. "Welcome, everyone."

"Be ready for anything," Yugi whispered to Kevin. Kevin nodded.

"Congratulations, despite my expectations you beat all of the Card Guards that I have hired and you've penetrated deep into my fortress." Hinxton clapped. "I applaud you."

"Enough, Hinxton," Kevin said. "We passed your challenge, now tell me what happened to my father! Do you know who killed him? Did YOU kill him?!"

"Your father," Hinxton mused in a nostalgic tone. "Ah yes, Adam Hunter was his name, was it not? Such a… lowly specimen."

Kevin growled and rushed Hinxton only to be thrown by Hinxton in an almost superhuman feat of strength.

"That's it," Joey said. "I'm going to kick this slimy politician's butt."

"Only after I kick his butt on general purposes," Kaiba said.

"The only way you'll get any answers from me, Young Hunter, is if you beat me in a duel." Hinxton clapped his hands twice and the doors they came in through automatically shut. The roof folded out like a lotus flower exposing everyone to the brisk evening air.

The cloaked figure was on the outer ramparts when he saw the tower open. "No, Hinxton is ready to duel, I have to stop him." He took off.

"Prepare for your final duel, son Doctor Hunter."

"No, Hinxton," Yugi said. "You'll duel me!"

"Step aside," Kaiba said. "I'm the only one with a chance against him."

"Even if that was true, Kaiba," Hinxton said. "It was Hunter whom I've chosen to battle and apparently, he accepted "

Kevin had already activated his Duel Disk.

"Kevin, be careful," Yugi called as the others stood back.

"I know, Yugi."

Hinxton also produced a Duel Disk. "Are you ready to duel, Young Hunter?"

"Come on, how tough could a dueling politician be?" Tristan asked.

"Tristan, you're going to be eating those words," Amara said.

(H: 4000)  
(K: 4000)

"I'll start," Kevin said. "With Masked Dragon (4) in defense mode."

"Something new, I see," Hinxton said. He drew a card. "But I'll have the most unstoppable monster out and you're going to help me."

"Like I'll help you."

"You won't have a choice," Hinxton said. "I activate Card Destruction, now you have to discard your hand and draw a new one."

_Nuts, he forced me to discard some of my best cards, _Kevin thought as he slid his hand of cards into the graveyard slot.

"I'll follow that up with Dark Designator. Here's how it works, I guess a card and if it's in your deck, you add it to your hand."

"So that's why you wanted a look at my deck, so you could take my best card!"

"Nothing so general, Young Hunter, I don't want your best card, just Exodia the Forbidden One!"

Kevin hissed.

"It is in your deck, isn't it?" Kevin nodded. "Then draw it." Kevin searched through his deck and added that card to his hand. "Ah, the most powerful monster in the game of Duel Monsters, all mine."

"I'll never give you my piece of Exodia," Kevin declared.

"I'll say this one more time, Young Hunter, you don't have a choice. I activate the magic card Exchange. Now we both have to take a card from the other's hand." The two Duelists met at the center. Hinxton took the head of Exodia. "I told you I would get your Exodia piece. But just so that there no hard feelings, feel free to take one of my cards." Kevin took the trap card Aura Force, feeling that he would need its power soon.

"Next I activate Postmortem Burial, this lets me take a monster card in my hand and adds it to my own graveyard." He slid Kevin's Exodia head into his own graveyard.

"Clever," Faley said. "If Exodia was discarded through normal means, it would go into Kevin's graveyard but Postmortem Burial allows the user to send any card to any graveyard of the player's discretion."

"But I thought Hinxton's scheme was to assemble Exodia, like that Rare Hunter did against me during Battle City. They're no good to him in the graveyard."

* * *

"_I'll go first," Gozaburo volunteered. He drew his sixth card. "I play the magic card Painful Choice. What it does is…"_

"_I know what it does," Kaiba snapped. "You show me five cards in your deck and I choose one and add it to your hand. The others go straight to the graveyard."_

"_And I have a feeling that these five cards should look familiar to you. After all, you've faced them before." Five cards appeared in front of Kaiba. They all were monster cards and the pictures made them look like a set. Kaiba recognized them, he recognized them only too well. The cards were the five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One. "I play the magic card Contract with Exodia! This magic card can only be activated when all five pieces of Exodia are in the graveyard. By giving up 2000 life points, it allows me to summon the all-mighty Exodia Necross!" _

* * *

Kaiba suddenly gasped, "Oh no, he couldn't have!"

Immediately everyone turned to face Kaiba. "What is it?" Yugi asked.

"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. You're wrong, Wheeler, having all the pieces of the Forbidden One in the graveyard does benefit him, if what I suspect is true."

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Kaiba, what's the deal?" Amara asked.

"This happened to me during the Virtual Wars when I went to challenge my step-father. He too had all five pieces of the Forbidden One but he didn't use them. Instead, he sent them to the graveyard."

"To do what?"

"I play another magic card."

"Are all you doing is playing magic cards?" Kevin asked.

"This is a special one, the one card that can only be used when all five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One are in the graveyard."

"Impossible!"

"It's true," Hinxton said with a smile. "Go, Contract with Exodia!"

"I knew it, so he does have that monster."

"But having Exodia means you automatically win," Joey said. "What could be worth giving that up?"

"Just watch."

"I give up 2000 life points to summon Exodia Necros (5)!" A large explosion of energy burst from the ground in front of Hinxton. A large shadow started to rise up. "Rise up, Exodia Necros and bring me victory!"

(H: 2000)  
(K: 4000)

"A Dark Exodia," Harold gasped.

"It even looks scary," Amara commented.

"Exodia Necros, attack Masked Dragon! Fist of the Dark God!"

A ball of dark fire emitted from Exodia's hand and destroyed the Masked Dragon.

"Masked Dragon didn't even have a fighting chance," Tristan said.

"But can Kevin use his special ability?" Yugi asked.

"If he couldn't, what would be the point in using it?" Kaiba retorted.

"By destroying Masked Dragon, you activated its special ability allowing me to summon a dragon monster from my hand."

"What a joke, if you're anything like your cousin, you use primarily warrior and winged-beast type monsters, I don't think you have any dragons."

"That's where you're wrong, Hinxton."

"What?"

"You see, right before we came in, I modified my deck so now it does contain dragon-type monsters."

"Well go ahead and summon your dragon, I know every dragon-type monster in the game and none of them can stand up to Exodia Necros."

"Wrong again, Hinxton."

Hinxton scowled. "What do you mean wrong?"

"I mean it's to introduce you to a new breed of dragon, a dragon that hasn't seen any action in duels yet and therefore, can not be stopped even by Exodia Necros." Kevin held up a card. "It's time to say hello to… the Black Flame Dragon!"

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Amazoness Chain Master  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1300

(2)  
Name: Harpie's Brother  
Level: 4  
Type: Winged-Beast  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 600

(3)  
Name: Amazoness Swords Woman  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1600

(4)  
Name: Masked Dragon  
Level: 4  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 1400  
DEF: 1100

(5)  
Name: Exodia Necros  
Level: 4  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 0


	14. Tower of the Forbidden One Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 277: Tower of the Forbidden One Pt 1: A New Level

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! In the middle of a heated duel with the mysterious Doe, Kevin made his declaration to defeat her and find out the truth about his father. This vocal declaration took Doe by surprise and it must've touched her beneath her helmet, because she ended up forfeiting the duel. With no more Card Guards to battle, the gang stormed into Hinxton's tower to confront the rather other-worldly politician. Kevin wouldn't let anyone but him battle Hinxton and to prove that he wasn't acting fully out of rage, he revealed a new monster: Masked Dragon. But Hinxton's initial strategy trumped Kevin's as he gained control of Kevin's Exodia piece and sent it along with the other four components to the graveyard to activate Contract with Exodia, a card Kaiba knew too well. Hinxton used it to summon Exodia Necros. But Kevin was about to reveal a new dragon: Black Flame Dragon. What is it? What can it do? And most importantly, can it stand up to a monster that even the great Seto Kaiba had trouble beating?

* * *

"Tell me what you did to my father."

"I'm sorry, Young Hunter, I can't hear you over the roar of my Exodia Necros," Hinxton chuckled. As if to emphasize the comment, Exodia Necros let out a roar.

"His monster doesn't look that tough," Tristan commented.

"Tristan, it's got 'Exodia' in its name," Joey commented. "How can it not be tough?"

Yugi turned to Kaiba, "Kaiba, you've been up against this monster before, any insights?"

"Its power is attuned to the five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One in the graveyard," Kaiba explained. "As long as those five pieces exist, nothing can touch Exodia Necros. Not magic or trap cards, it can't even be destroyed in battle. However, if Hunter can keep hacking at Hinxton's life points, he might stand a chance."

(H: 2000)  
(K: 4000)

"Hinxton has already done half the work for him, Hunter just has to finish him off."

"But how can he do that, I mean didn't Hinxton make Kevin discard his good hand early on?" Tea asked.

"What about that Black Flame thing Kevin was talking about earlier?" Amara asked.

"Looks like we're about to find out, American," Kaiba commented.

"Thanks to you destroying Masked Dragon, I can special summon a dragon-type monster from my hand."

"Go ahead, no dragon-type monster can defeat my Exodia."

"But this is a special type of dragon," Kevin said. "A dragon that has never been seen before today," he said. "It's time to meet… Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 1 (1)!" A burst of fire emitted from the ground and produced a small silver-colored bird-like creature.

"So cute," Tea cooed.

"That's Kevin's special monster?" Harold asked.

"Level 1," Yugi muttered. "So they're finally out?"

"Pegasus must've sent them out the same day he sent out that Kaiba Man card," Kaiba added in the same tone.

Hinxton burst into laughter, "That little chicken is supposed to be your special monster? Your family is even more pathetic than I remember."

"Well if you're so not afraid of my new monster, why don't you attack?" Kevin asked as he set a card face-down.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," Hinxton said. Considering nothing face-down can affect my Exodia Necros. Exodia Necros, attack it with Flame of the Dark God!"

(EN: 1800-2300)

* * *

The cloaked figure saw Exodia Necros from the ramparts. "Exodia, has the god really awaken? No, it's dark. I must get to Yugi before Hinxton implements his real strategy!" As he moved onto the bridge he came across Doe. "Out of my way, you have no idea the powers that are at work here." Doe activated her Duel Disk. "Very well then, we'll do this your way."

* * *

The ball of dark fire engulfed the small creature. Kevin blocked his face with his Duel Disk as his life points went down.

(H: 2000)  
(K: 1800)

As the dust cleared, Horus Level 1 remained, a light glow emitting from its body.

"What happened, how come that thing is still alive?"

"Simple, I activated my trap card… or should I say your trap card. The trap card I took from you was called Aura Guard. Once activated, it allows a monster with less than 2000 attack points remain on the field for one turn."

"Why you would want something so pitiful to remain on the field is completely beyond me," Hinxton said.

"You just haven't seen Horus's true power yet," Kevin said as he drew a card. "I sacrifice Horus Level 1 to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 (2)!" The small monster disappeared only to be replaced by a silver bird-like monster.

"Wait, why is Kevin calling out the level of the monster?" Joey asked.

"Because it's part of its name," Yugi explained. "You see, guys, Horus is part of a whole new breed of monster called a Level Monster."

"What's a Level Monster?" Tea asked.

"Level Monsters are just what they sound like," Kaiba jumped in. "They're monsters that can increase their levels with each turn."

"In addition," Yugi continued. "Sacrificing them this way activates their special abilities."

"So they just came out?" Harold asked.

"That's right. Just like Gerard's Kaibaman card, the Level Monsters just recently came out."

"Horus, attack Exodia Necros with Osiris Beam!" Horus opened its beak and unleashed a shaft of energy.

"Good luck, Exodia Necros can't be destroyed by attacks from any monster." Exodia Necros crossed its arms to block the attack. The beam wrapped itself around Exodia Necros and doubled back. Kevin quickly discarded a support monster called Horus' Footsoldier (3) taking 1000 points of damage but Horus remained on the field.

(H: 2000)  
(K: 800)

"I summon Horus's Servant (4) in defense mode and end my turn."

"And I'm about to end this duel, and the game of Duel Monsters for good. You see, Young Hunter, when you challenge me, you not only sealed your own fate, but the fate of all those children whoever picked up the game of Duel Monsters. You've doomed them all."

Yami appeared and stared down Hinxton, _Something's not right about him. _He noticed Hinxton seemed to be staring straight at him. He gasped, _"Yugi, I think Hinxton saw me."_

_"But that's impossible," _Yugi said. _"Only I should be able to see you, unless… do you think it has something to do with the Millennium Item?"_

_"I'm not sure, but I feel something… dark… dark and evil from him. Better tell Kevin to be careful."_

_"Right. _Hey Kevin, watch out for Hinxton, he's planning something."

"Don't worry, Yugi, I know what I'm doing."

"You should pay mind your young friend, my dear Young Hunter, he's wiser than you think," Hinxton said. "Exodia Necros, power up and attack Horus!"

(EN: 2300-2800)

"Flame of the Dark God!" But as Exodia Necros let loose with another attack, Horus's Servant leapt up into the line of fire and it was destroyed instead. "No, I wanted you to attack the Black Flame Dragon, not the Servant."

"But that's what Servant is for, Hinxton, to protect Horus the Black Flame Dragon from whatever my opponent decides to throw at it."

Hinxton scowled. "You won yourself a brief reprieve, Young Hunter," Hinxton said. He set a card face-down and ended his turn.

_Hinxton's right about one thing, _Kevin thought. _I managed to gain myself a little bit of leeway, but I can't drag this out forever or else he might win. _As Kevin moved to draw a card, a phantom hand laid on top of his own. Kevin turned and saw a phantom image of his father. _Dad? _His father's spirit nodded. Together, they drew a card. Kevin gasped, _I remember this card, my father used to stare at it often when he was stuck in his research or translating text. He said it reminded him of the link we share. At the time, I didn't know what he was talking about, but now I do. And with our link, we'll bring down the Dark Forbidden One. _"I play the magic card Spiritual Bonds!" The picture on the card was of two humanoid shadows with chains connecting them. Chains emitted from the actual card and went into Hinxton's graveyard. Kevin's Exodia Head appeared wrapped in chains. "This magic card takes a monster from your graveyard and place it on the field or in the hand." Exodia Necros disappeared.

"What happened to Exodia Necros?" Tea asked.

"Exodia Necros can only remain on the field if all five pieces of Exodia are in the graveyard," Kaiba explained. "If any piece is removed from the graveyard, Exodia Necros is destroyed."

"Good for Kevin," Amara said.

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon, attack with Osiris Blaze!" Horus fired a blast of heat which traveled along the chains and destroyed the Exodia head."

(H: 200)  
(K: 800)

_Thank you, Dad, I know now that you'll always be there for me._

* * *

Doe fell before the cloaked figure, having been beaten. "You have lost," the cloaked figure told her. Doe hung her head. "I know what you are thinking. You are thinking 'I lost because I'm weak.' That is why you hide your face behind a mask. But know this though we both wear masks, we wear them for different reasons. I wear mine to maintain an edge over a dark foe, but you wear yours because you can't face who you are. If you truly wish to free yourself from your mask, you must make amends for circumstances that forced you to don the mask in the first place." And he continued on his way to the tower.

Doe looked down at her knees and knew that her opponent was right. She took off her helmet and placed it down on the ground.

* * *

"I end my turn."

As Kevin spoke those words, Horus started to be engulfed in fire.

"What's going on?" Tea asked. "Horus is… enflamed."

"Is that the price for summoning it?" Joey asked.

"It's not a price," Yugi said. "You're about to see what makes Level monsters so special."

"What's happening to your dragon?" Hinxton asked.

"It's Horus Level 6's special ability: since Horus destroyed a monster and because I ended my turn, Horus evolves to a higher level. He becomes stronger than ever!"

"Stronger?"

Horus's wings got longer and its pin feathers sharper, in fact every aspect of the monster got sharper. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 8 (5)!"

"That thing has 3000 attack points," Yugi said.

"I think we can call this duel done," Joey said.

"Not just yet," Kaiba said. "It's Hinxton's turn now."

Hinxton drew a card. "I play Pot of Greed so now I get two new cards." He snatched them from his deck.

_Should I use it, _Kevin wondered. _No, not for Pot of Greed, I should wait until my life points are in serious danger before using it._

"I set one card face-down and set a monster in defense mode."

"My draw," Kevin announced.

"My trap," Hinxton called. "Backup Soldier! With this, I get three monster cards back from the graveyard. And I'll choose Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, and Left Arm of the Forbidden One (6 a-c)!"

"Wait, you mean the pieces of Exodia are also monsters?" Tea asked.

"That's right," Amara said. "The limbs of the Forbidden One cards are considered normal monsters."

"He's trying to assemble Exodia again!" Harold warned.

"It won't work," Kaiba said.

"How come?" Tristan asked.

"When Kevin destroyed the Exodia head with his Level 6 Black Flame Dragon, it returned to his own graveyard instead of going to Hinxton's."

"But Hinxton must've known about that," Amara said.

"Could he have another Exodia Head?" Tea wondered.

"If he did, why wouldn't he play that instead of grabbing for Kevin's?" Yugi asked.

"You're only supposed to have one set of Forbidden One cards in your deck," Kaiba pointed out.

"That Rare Hunter who dueled Yugi had three sets," Joey pointed out. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Hinxton stooped to the same dirty trick."

"Horus, attack that face-down card! Osiris Flare!" A green creature in armor appeared briefly.

"That was my Des Feral Imp (7)," Hinxton said. "When it's flipped over I get to take another card from my graveyard and add it back to my deck and I choose Right Leg of the Forbidden One (6-d)."

"He's definitely trying to assemble Exodia," Yugi said.

"But how is he going to get Kevin's Exodia head?" Nobody had an answer.

"My draw," Hinxton said. "I set another monster in defense mode."

_It's probably another flip effect monster, _Kevin thought. _If I destroy it, I could risk triggering it, but if I don't, he'll just flip-summon it anyway. Wait a minute, if I do let him flip-summon it, then it'll be in attack mode and I can destroy it. _"I end my turn."

"Not attacking was a bad mistake, Young Hunter, just like your father."

"What was that?"

"Your father was a worthless excuse for a man unbefitting of a vessel. I did the world a favor by sweeping him aside."

"You… you did kill him…" Kevin's hand was trembling with anger. "Why…"

"As I said, he was unbefitting of a vessel. Ask your friend Yugi Moto, he knows all about proper vessels."

"Yugi, is he talking about what I think he's talking about?" Joey asked.

"I'm not sure," Yugi said.

"You should understand, Yugi," Hinxton said. "After all, you destroyed a life too… when you took down Dartz!"

Everyone gasped.

"How do you know about Dartz?" Yugi asked.

"I thought as much," Kaiba said. "I had a suspicion the Doma Group couldn't have gathered so many resources without attracting some sort of attention on their own. They had to had some political insider."

"And that insider was Hinxton," Harold said.

"It's true I was the one keeping pressure off the Doma Group."

"But why?" Yugi asked. "Did you know what Dartz wanted to do? He wanted to destroy civilization."

"Of course I knew! That's why I was backing him!"

"He's insane," Tea said.

"Not insane, little girl, just ambitious. Dartz promised me a position of power if I was to fund his work and keep the governments of the world tied up in bureaucratic tape until he would resurrect the Great Leviathan. I've periodically received updates regarding the progress from the Doma Group. Then one day they suddenly stopped transmitting. I didn't know what happened, until you revealed that it was Yugi Moto who defeated Dartz."

"So that's why you put us through this."

"Oh no, that was just a bonus, the icing on the cake so to speak. Now, it's time to win this duel!" He drew a card. It was Right Leg of the Forbidden One, the card that was returned to the deck thanks to Des Feral Imp. He smiled. "I reveal my face-down monster, Magician of Faith (8)! With this card, I can take a magic card back from the graveyard and I'll take back Pot of Greed which I play now." He took two new cards from his deck. He suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, "I did it! I finally win this duel!"

"Hold on, you only have 200 life points," Kevin pointed out. "While I have 1300. Plus I have Horus in his Level 8 form, with 3000 attack points. All you have is your Magician of Faith. It's clear that I'm going to win!"

"But I'm about to unlock the Forbidden One."

"No way! You need all five pieces and you don't have…"

"I already have four pieces and you're about to provide me the head."

"Impossible!"

"Do you know why Exodia was sealed away in five pieces? Long ago, a powerful force existed. This force could create and destroy, it could warp and mold. It was said to be the power of the gods themselves! A magician came upon this incredible force and used it to form Exodia. But Exodia was too powerful for the magician to control and he was forced to chain the creature in five separate forms."

"Get to the point, Hinxton."

"It was chains that first caused Exodia to be divided now it shall be chains that will bring Exodia together again, your own chains, Hunter."

"No!"

"I play the magic card Double Spell! Now by discarding a magic card, I can gain control of a magic card in your graveyard. Quite the handy magic card, wouldn't you say so, Yugi Moto? After all you were able to use this card on several occasions."

On the outside, Yugi wasn't phased by Hinxton's comment, but on the inside he was brushing off the icicles off his spine. Hinxton addressed him a couple of times like there was a secret only the two of them shared.

"I think I'll take your Spiritual Bonds magic card."

Kevin could only watch in horror as his card seemingly float out of the graveyard on its own power and landed in Hinxton's hand. "What an incredible card, you were able to use it to beat Exodia Necros, and now I will use it to win the duel. And when I win, you will suffer."

"Are… are you going to kill me like you killed my father?"

"Kill you?" Hinxton laughed, "Oh no, Young Hunter, nothing so merciful. What I will subject you to will make death seem like a peaceful sleep." Black tendrils of energy started to swirl around them.

"Why does this seem eerily familiar?" Joey asked.

"It's Shadow energy," Yugi said. "I was afraid this would happen, Hinxton is starting a Shadow Game!"

"Not this nonsense again," Kaiba said.

"Kaiba, this is no time for your 'I don't believe in magic' whine," Amara said.

"With the powers at my disposal, Young Hunter, I will subject you to tortures beyond belief, Young Hunter, your time is at an end!"

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 1  
Level: 1  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 1000  
DEF: 1000  
Send this card to the graveyard to special summon "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 3" from your deck or hand. Remove this card from the graveyard to negate damage done to a "Horus the Black Flame Dragon" of any level.

(2)  
Name: Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6  
Level: 6  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 1600

(3)  
Name: Horus' Footsoldier  
Level: 2  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 500  
DEF: 800  
Discard this card from your hand to the graveyard and take 1000 points of damage to allow a "Horus the Black Flame Dragon" of any level to remain on the field.

(4)  
Name: Horus' Servant  
Level: 1  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 100  
DEF: 100

(5)  
Name: Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8  
Level: 8  
Type: Dragon/Effect  
Attribute: Fire  
ATK: 3000  
DEF: 1800

(6)  
Pieces of Exodia:  
(a) Right Arm of the Forbidden One  
(b) Left Leg of the Forbidden One  
(c) Left Arm of the Forbidden One  
(d) Right Leg of the Forbidden One  
Level: 1  
Type: Spellcaster  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 200  
DEF: 300

(7)  
Name: Des Feral Imp  
Level: 4  
Type: Reptile/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 1800  
DEF: 1600

(8)  
Name: Magician of Faith  
Level: 1  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 300  
DEF: 400


	15. Tower of the Forbidden One Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 278: Tower of the Forbidden One Pt 2: Hinxton's Secret

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Kevin brought out a brand new monster, Horus the Black Flame Dragon, a level monster. Level monsters are special monsters that can gain levels and power under certain conditions. In Horus's case, it levels up with the destruction of the opposing monster. When the spirit of Kevin's father came to him, Kevin was able to play Spiritual Bonds, a magic card that grabbed a monster from the opponent's graveyard. With Kevin's Exodia head on the field, Exodia Necros was destroyed and Kevin was able to use Horus's Level 6 form to destroy it evolving it to a Level 8 monster with 3000 attack points. Hinxton was choc-full of surprises, revealing that he was the backer to the Doma Group, providing financial resources and keeping any political pressure off of them as they accomplish their goal. He even hinted that he knew that the Spirit of the Pharaoh was housed within Yugi Moto. Hinxton's true power (as well as his insanity) began to break through as he played Double Spell to gain control of Kevin's Spiritual Bonds card. Now, with four pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One in his hand, and a fifth one on the way, it looks like Hinxton is on his way to victory and Kevin is on his way to oblivion because Hinxton has unleashed a power that all but Kevin had experienced in one form or another: the lethal powers of the Shadow Realm. Hey wait, we never did find out who Doe was, did we? Oh well, not important.

* * *

Yugi, Joey, Harold, and Kaiba stood around the others watching as the smoke filled the room. "Not this again," Tea said.

"I've had enough of this garbage from Marik at Battle City," Kaiba complained.

Yugi and Harold nodded. The Millennium Puzzle flashed as Yugi and Yami merged. The ring of symbols covered Harold transforming him into his Avatar costume. "Something isn't right," Yami-Yugi said.

"When is anything involving the Shadow Realm right?" Joey retorted.

Yami-Yugi ignored Joey's comment instead staring at the wisps of black smoke that seemed to be penetrating the walls of the fortress. "The Shadow Dome, it's unstable," Yami-Yugi said. "Harold."

"Way ahead of you, buddy," Harold said. Yami-Yugi held up the Millennium Puzzle. Harold touched his Armlet to it. Rings of archaic symbols lashed out and etched themselves transforming the smoke into a wall.

* * *

The cloaked figure ran up the stairs. "I'm almost there." Suddenly the cloaked figure slammed into something and tumbled back down the stairs, only stopping himself by grabbing the step. The cloaked figure looked up to see a black wall covering the door. "No, I'm too late! Hinxton has already unleashed the powers of the Shadow Realm. Now I'm afraid there's only one who can stand against him."

* * *

"Yugi, what did you guys do?" Joey asked.

"I'm guessing Hinxton is still new at using his Millennium Item," Yami-Yugi explained. "His attempt to transform the playing field into a Shadow Game resulted in a flux which could be disastrous for the entire world."

"Must you be so overdramatic," Kaiba asked.

"What Harold and I did was stabilize the dome so that none of the magic would leak out to the real world."

"That's all fine and dandy but we're trapped in here so the magic could hurt us," Tristan pointed out.

"Don't worry, Tristan, my Armlet should protect us from any residual magic," Harold assured them.

"But it also doesn't change Kevin's scenario," Amara said.

"Now that I've invoked the powers of the Shadow Realm, your doom is certain," Hinxton was saying.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked.

"Kevin," Harold called. "You know the power that Marik used to send Mai into a coma? That's what he's talking about."

Kevin hissed, obviously Battle City wasn't something he wanted to remember.

"Correct, Harold Kumara," Hinxton said. "Once in the Shadow Realm, the monsters are real! The magical attacks are just as lethal as bullets or knives and the penalty to the one who loses is even more dangerous."

"I don't care about that, give me back my card!"

"You mean Spiritual Bonds? This card must be very important to you. Sorry, but it's mine now and I'm going to use it to assemble all the pieces of the Forbidden One including your Exodia head. Once all five pieces of Exodia are in my hand, victory is assured! Tell me, Young Hunter, have you ever felt the power of Exodia first hand, well you're about to and it's all thanks to your magic card! The same card that you used to take down Exodia Necros will be your own undoing!"

"Hold on, if Hinxton did use that magic card, wouldn't it appear on the field and not in the hand?" Joey asked.

"You're thinking for a change, Wheeler, that's an improvement. But as usual, you're mistaken. Spiritual Bonds can take a card from the opponent's graveyard and place it either on the field or in the hand," Kaiba explained.

"Now it's time for your end," Hinxton cried. "Go, Spiritual Bonds!"

Kevin watched in horror as the image of the card appeared on the field. Chains lashed out from the card and wedged in Kevin's graveyard slot. Exodia's head appeared wrapped in chains. Slowly, the image began to be dragged towards Hinxton's side of the field. Kevin's face paled.

_"Kevin!" _A phantom image of Kevin's father appeared again. _"You must destroy that magic card!"_

_"Dad, I can't, it's your favorite card! It would be like I'm destroying you!"_

_"Kevin, it's time for you to let go."_

_"What?"_

_"For most of your life, you have attached yourself to others. Me, Mai, the friends you made at Battle City. The time has come for you to let go and forge your own path."_

_"But I can't do it without you."_

_"Kevin, you have grown stronger but the only one who hasn't noticed is you. You are ready to break the bonds and fly on your own. Destroy the Spiritual Bonds card and embrace your destiny._

Kevin's head dropped. _He's right, the only way I can escape is by destroying Spiritual Bonds. _"Horus, destroy that magic card!"

"What?" Everyone cried out.

Horus lashed out a beam of black energy which destroyed Spiritual Bonds. Exodia's head faded back into the graveyard.

"What did you do?" Hinxton turned to Kevin with rage and murder in his eyes, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I activated my Black Flame Dragon's hidden power, the ability to negate and destroy any magic card I choose!" His head slumped. "Even my own magic card." His voice broke up.

"Poor Kevin," Tea said.

"Destroying his own card must be tough," Tristan figured.

"But it had to be done," Kaiba pointed out.

"Still, that doesn't make it any easier," Amara pointed out.

_As much as I hated to destroy my father's magic card, I know it had to be done. And in a way, he was right, I did have to let go. I've become so used to having people like my father, Cousin Mai, and even Yugi and his friends looking out for me, that I didn't see my own growth. But Father, I can now let go. I'll never forget you, or Mai, but now I know I can move on my own now. And if I fall, it's good to know that there's still some people I can count on… my friends. _Kevin looked over at Harold, it was through him that he had the honor of meeting Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, and everyone else. He gave Harold a thumb up which Harold returned.

"This isn't over yet!" Hinxton cried attracting everyone's attention to him again. "I summon Left Arm of the Forbidden One in defense mode!" Exodia's dismembered left arm flexed its muscle.

"A wasted move," Kaiba said. "All Kevin has to do now is destroy Magician of Faith."

Kevin drew a card. "Hinxton, for your crimes, for everything you've done, you will pay. THIS ENDS NOW! Horus, attack and destroy Magician of Faith with Osiris Blaze!"

"No, you can't!" But Horus was already powering up and unleashed a giant blast of fire. Magician of Faith screamed and was blown back breaking apart. The flames spread to the left arm of Exodia and caused not only the image, but the card to burn. Immediately the other pieces of Exodia were set ablaze. "My Exodia pieces!"

Yami-Yugi chuckled, "You should've learned more about the legend of the Forbidden One cards, the fate of one card is the fate of all the others."

(H: 0)  
(K: 800)

The Shadow Realm started to disperse. The roof closed up again. Harold and Yugi returned to their normal selves.

"Those Level monsters are sweet, Yug," Joey said. "Maybe you should think about getting some for your deck."

"It's a definite possibility, Joey," Yugi agreed.

Kevin walked up to Hinxton.

"Are you… going to kill me now?" Hinxton asked discouraged all the while staring at the ruins of the Exodia cards.

"I have a more fitting punishment for you," Kevin said. He turned to the others. "Anybody got a cell phone?"

"I do," Kaiba said.

"Please contact the police and tell them that Senator Andros Hinxton is going to turn himself in for murder. Let's see what that does to his pol…" A loud burst of laughter came from Hinxton causing the others to turn to look at him.

"Do you fools honestly think I would be caught just because I lost one duel? You're just as pathetic as your father. Nobody will catch me, not so long as I have this." Hinxton held up the golden scales.

"The Millennium Item," Yugi gasped.

"Yes, and as long as I have the Millennium Scale, I am untouchable, even by your all-powerful Millennium Puzzle!"

"How do you know about the Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi demanded to know. "Tell us!"

"Not today, Yugi Moto, or should I call you Ancient Pharaoh?"

Yugi shifted into a defensive position, _"Pharaoh, he knows about you!"_

_"I was afraid of this," _Yami said. _"Most likely there is a dark spirit inside the Millennium Scale that is controlling Hinxton just like the Millennium Ring controlled Bakura."_

No, I won't be telling anything to anyone." The ground around Hinxton started to descend. "You've all sealed your doom by challenging me." As soon as Hinxton had completely descended, a panel started to close over the tunnel.

Yugi gritted his teeth. If he didn't do something quickly, Hinxton would be gone forever, and so would the Millennium Scale. Yugi turned to Harold, "Harold, keep that tunnel from closing up!"

"Right." Harold set up a shield blocking the panel from closing. The gears groaned from being jammed. The hatch pushed against Harold's Armlet's shield but neither gave an inch. "Uh… Yugi, why am I doing this again?" Harold asked.

"I'm going after the Millennium Scale," Yugi said. As he started to step forward, his arm was suddenly tugged back. He turned to see Tea holding a firm grip on it. "Tea?"

"Don't," she said.

"What?"

"Yugi, please, just walk away, forget about the Millennium Scale!"

"I can't do that, Tea," Yugi argued. "I have to get it it's too dangerous to remain in Hinxton's hands!"

But Tea still held a tight grip on his wrist, "I know what you really want to do," she said staring at the floor. "You want to unlock the Pharaoh's memories." Yugi was silent. "But don't you realize that… if you do… the Pharaoh could leave forever." Everyone else was silent, even breathing could barely be heard.

Kaiba heard the story of Yugi's pendant and the so-called "Pharaoh's Spirit" who resided inside it. He personally thought it was a load of hogwash (to put it politely) but even he had to realize that for Tea Gardner, Yugi Moto's closest female friend, to diligently stand up to him like that, Yugi must be raring to do something life-altering. He hated to admit it, but he was impressed, both at Yugi's seriousness (which he'd prefer over his destiny, friendship, and heart of the cards speeches) and by Tea's almost harsh tone.

Tea looked up at Yugi, tears streaming from her eyes. "I don't want you to… I don't want you to do it!"

"Tea, this isn't open to discussion," Yugi said.

"Well I'm making it open to discussion," Tea argued. "Each time you've gone up against a magical artifact, it cost either your or the Pharaoh your soul! I don't want to lose anybody to magic again!"

"But Tea…"

"'But Tea' nothing, you're not going and that's final!"

"Yugi, I can't keep this up forever," Harold warned.

Yugi firmed up and ripped his wrist out of her vice grip. The gesture shocked everyone, even Kaiba. Yugi turned his back to her, "I'm sorry, Tea, but this is something I have to do. Even if we weren't trying to recover the Pharaoh's memories, I couldn't stand it if I allowed something as powerful as the Millennium Scale to remain in Hinxton's hand. This is my destiny, my purpose, and I couldn't change it even if I wanted to." He went over to the hole. "I'll be back soon… I hope." And he jumped down.

"Yugi," Tea started to call.

"Trouble in paradise, I see," Kaiba cracked with a smirk.

"Kaiba, shut up before I shove your Blue-Eyes right up your a…" Someone darted into Amara's field of vision. "Huh?" A figure in a purple cloak dove through the same hole Yugi dove through. Just then Harold's shield failed and the hatch closed.

"Who was that?" Tristan asked.

"Kaiba, you were the only one who showed up here besides us, right?" Joey asked.

"I thought I was."

Kevin turned and headed for the door. "Kevin, where are you going?"

"I'm going to search Hinxton's mansion from top to bottom. In our duel, Hinxton hinted that he did kill my father. But after all this Shadow Game stuff, I don't know if I should believe him. I have to search for evidence."

"Hey wait, Kevin," Amara called. "You can't search through this big place by yourself! I'll come with you."

"You kids would get lost in five minutes," Faley said. "I'll show you to Hinxton's private study."

Amara turned to the others, "Anyone else want to come along on this excursion?"

"I'll take you up on that offer," Tristan said.

"Not me," Joey said. "I'll stay up here in case Yug comes back up."

"Same here," Harold agreed. "I'm the only one who can pry open the hatch."

Amara acknowledged Joey and Harold with a nod. She looked at Tea, "Tea?" Tea didn't respond, she just continued staring at the closed hatch. Amara and Tristan shared a look and shrugged and left along with Faley and Kevin.

Joey and Harold also shared a look as they stared at Tea who was staring at the ground.

Kaiba sighed before following them out, "I'd rather be anywhere then here playing the waiting game with Dog Face, Bracelet Boy, and Juliet over there."

* * *

As Yugi slid down the chute, Yami appeared behind him, "Yugi, don't you think you were a little harsh on Tea?"

"Yeah, I think I was," Yugi agreed. 'Pharaoh, if you'd prefer to remain here with us… I mean I'm sure Tea would…"

"Yugi, I understand."

"You do?"

"I do want to find out my memories, but I also know that doing so will separate us forever. But if there's one thing I've learned from our exploits that no matter how far apart we are, as long as we remember each other in our minds and in our hearts, we'll never be apart."

"Thanks, Pharaoh, I only wish Tea could hear that." Yugi finally landed. "Are we back in the Sub-Basement?" He asked. He looked around and saw that he landed in a dark cave. "I'd have to say we're in the sub-sub-basement." He walked down the cave keeping his hand along the wall for guidance. He crossed a rickety wooden bridge over a chasm to a bluff. Hinxton was at the center, his back to Yugi, mumbling. Yugi slowly approached Hinxton. "Hinxton?"

"I had a feeling you would show up," Hinxton said. "I know what you want."

"Hinxton, listen to me," Yugi pleaded. "The scale you have is an item of tremendous power. It can unleash powers from another dimension and can even…"

"I know what it ca do, Yugi Moto," Hinxton said. "I am well-versed in the legend of the Millennium Items, how whoever possessed all seven of them will wield tremendous power."

"Then you must know that they can only be obtained in a Shadow Game," Yugi said.

"That's true, but I have no desire to obtain your Millennium Puzzle."

"Then why, why did you do all this? Kevin…"

"Young Hunter was just a bonus," Hinxton revealed. "The real subject of all this was you, Mister Moto."

"But why me? Was it for my Millennium Puzzle?"

"Partly."

"Then what else?"

"For revenge! For revenge of what you did when you destroyed my master."

"But Dartz was trying to destroy civilization!"

"Dartz? No, not him, he was trying to remake civilization and we were partners in that venture in every sense of the word. I am seeking revenge on you when you destroyed my master's power source, the power source which would totally eradicate civilization."

Yami emerged. "Enough of these games, tell me who you really are?"

"From your demanding tone, I figured I'm talking to the ancient Pharaoh whose spirit inhabits the Millennium Puzzle. It's you who I hold the most disdain towards. First you destroy me and my sister and then you destroy our master."

"But I would never take a life!" Yami protested.

"But you did. You destroyed my master… when you destroyed the Pyramid of Light!"

Yami gasped. "The Pyramid of Light? But how do you know about that unless…"

"I see you finally figured it out," Hinxton said as his body started bulging and bubbling. His body grew muscular, his hair turned gold colored. His hands grew claws on the fingers. This new creature looked vaguely lion-like.

"It can't be you!"

"Oh, but it is. I thought my name would've been a dead giveaway but I guess being inside the body of a little boy has dulled your senses, Pharaoh."

"Hinxton…"

"Hinxton, no, I am power, I am vengeance, I am… ANDRO SPHINX!"

The End


	16. Tipping the Scale Pt 1

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 279: Tipping the Scale Pt 1: Old Foes

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Hinxton was ready to use Kevin's Spiritual Bonds magic card against him. The strategy was to use it to bring Kevin's Exodia head to his hand and then combine it with the other four pieces of Exodia to achieve an automatic victory. Kevin didn't want to destroy Spiritual Bonds with Horus Level 8's special ability because to him Spiritual Bonds represented a link he had with his father. But Hinxton had used the Millennium Scale, his Millennium Item, to set up a Shadow Game, and when you lose in a Shadow Game, you lose much more than your life points. Yes, he hated to do it, but he had to, he used Horus' special ability to destroy magic cards to destroy Spiritual Bonds. Unable to summon Exodia, Hinxton could not protect himself from Kevin's finishing blow. Even though Kevin won, Hinxton wasn't ready to agree to Kevin's surrender terms. He escaped down a chute. After a rather heated debate with Tea, Yugi followed him and discovered that Hinxton was in fact, Andro Sphinx, the servant of Anubis.

* * *

_Dark smoke whipped around the Pyramid of Light as well as the sky above it. Black ooze gathered on the ground. "I summon the dreaded beasts Andro Sphinx (62) and Sphinx Teleia!" Two strange monsters appeared. One of them had the head of a lion and the body of a muscular man. Another had the head of a beautiful woman but the body of a lion and eagle wings._

_Anubis sensed Yami's desperation. "Search your deck from now to Doomsday, you won't find anything and you still won't find anything to stand against my Shadow Realm beasts!" Watapon shivered and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian raised its sword in a defensive manner. "No, my Pharaoh, I'm afraid that for you, doomsday is now!" He waved his hand and a card appeared face-down. "Now let's get rid of your last line of defense. Sphinx Teleia, it is feeding time!" Sphinx Teleia opened her mouth revealing sharp fangs. She roared scaring Watapon but decided to pounce on Obnoxious Celtic Guardian instead. "And now it is your turn, Andro Sphinx!" Andro Sphinx let out a fierce roar which produced a shockwave that destroyed the little powder puff._

"_I activate my face-down card Double Spell now by discarding one card from my hand I can select a new card from my opponent's graveyard and use it as my own and I know just the card I want!" A card flew out of Kaiba's Duel Disk and into Yami's hand. "Monster Reborn! So come forth, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" The large dragon reappeared on Yami's side of the field. "And I have a hunch that this time it will work! Go, Shining Nova, use all your power to finish what you started before and destroy the Pyramid of Light!" The dragon launched a bolt of lightning which destroyed the card! All the monsters were destroyed._

* * *

Yami-Yugi could remember the last time he went up against Andro Sphinx (1) at Kaiba's Duel Dome. At the time, he expected the humanoid creature to be just another Duel Monster or at the most, a product of magic created by Anubis's Pyramid of Light. He couldn't imagine that Andro Sphinx was alive, let alone sentient.

"You seem surprised to see me, Pharaoh," Andro Sphinx said.

"You're not supposed to be here," Yami-Yugi said.

"Why? Because I'm what you call a Duel Monster, because I was supposed to have been destroyed by Kaiba's wretched Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon?"

"Why have you been masquerading as Hinxton?"

"Because he was the perfect vessel."

"What?"

* * *

_After your Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon defeated me, my spirit floated across time and space. To me there was no past, no present, no future; I was just there, until I felt myself attracted to one Andros Hinxton. It was more than the name that drew me to him, it was his heart. His heart was darker than night and his soul as cold as ice. It was the perfect vessel for me. Through his memories, I learned that he too sought absolute power in its many forms including the head of Exodia the Forbidden One. When he learned that it had been entrusted to the archaeologist Adam Hunter, he sought out to obtain it through any means necessary, including murder. He succeeded in running over Hunter but before he could obtain the card, he was discovered by somebody. He had to drive off. It was night, and nobody would believe a single witness so he was safe._

_He… or rather I… worked my way up the political ladder eventually becoming an esteemed Senator. But obtaining that final piece of Exodia the Forbidden One was always out of reach, until you practically delivered it to me on a silver platter._

* * *

"So you used me to lure Kevin here."

"That was 'Hinxton's' original plan," Andro Sphinx said. "But in fact, it was the other way around, I used him to lure you here."

"For my Millennium Puzzle."

"Exactly, I needed it if I am to resurrect Anubis!"

"You can't," Yami-Yugi said. "I destroyed Anubis!"

"Are you sure? Look up behind you."

Yami-Yugi turned and saw a large sarcophagus mounted on the cavern wall above where he entered. It was shackled in chains. "It can't be," he gasped.

_"It looks just like the one the guys and I saw inside the Millennium Puzzle," _Yugi commented. _Except this is the real thing."_

"But it is. That sarcophagus is enchanted with the spirit of Anubis! All I need is Shadow Power and a body and Anubis shall rise again! That's where you come in, Ancient Pharaoh." Andro Sphinx held up the Millennium Scale, "Millennium Scale, by the laws of Ancient Egypt, I call upon the powers of the Shadow Realm to activate a Shadow Game!" Dark smoke began encircling them.

"This isn't good," Yami-Yugi commented. "I could barely handle Andro Sphinx last time, how can I handle him this time?"

"With some help, you can," a new voice said.

Yami-Yugi and Andro Sphinx both turned to see the cloaked figure walk across the bridge.

"Who is that?" Yami-Yugi wondered.

"How did you get inside?" Andro Sphinx demanded to know. "This Shadow Game is between me and the Pharaoh."

"I was already inside the Millennium Scale's sphere of influence when you instituted your Shadow Game so now I'm in this Shadow Game too," the cloaked figure said as he stepped up besides Yami-Yugi.

"Who are you?' Yami-Yugi asked. "How do you know so much about the Shadow Games?"

"Yugi… or should I say… Ancient Pharaoh?" Yami-Yugi recoiled in shock. The cloaked figure lowered his mask and removed his hood. It was a dark skinned man, bald with the exception of a black pony tail in back. What was his most startling (and recognizable feature) was the strange tattoo on the side of his face. "It's been a while."

"Odion!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Faley led Amara, Kevin, Tristan, and Kaiba through the halls of Hinxton's house. "Faley, does Hinxton have any office or study?" Kevin asked.

"Sure does, Sugar," Faley said. "In fact, I'm taking you there right now."

"So how do we know we're going in the right direction?" Kaiba asked. Faley cast a side glance at him.

"Forgive him," Amara apologized. "A stick crawled up his butt years ago and he still can't get it out."

"Don't make me hit you," Kaiba threatened.

"Chill out, kiddies," Faley said stopping in front of a set of double wooden doors. "We're here." She tried the door. "Shoot, it's locked."

"Stand back, I'll open it," Tristan said.

"Hold on a sec, I think I have the key right…"

BAM!

Tristan plowed into the doors forcing them off their hinges.

"Nice going, nit wit," Kaiba said walking in.

"You know, T, violence doesn't solve everything," Amara said also walking by him.

"It's worked for me in the past," Tristan protested as he, Kevin and Faley also walked in.

"I could tell," Kaiba said.

The room was nice, book shelves decorated the walls about six feet high. At the center was a large oak desk with a plush high-back rolling chair. A computer was set up to the side of the desk while a bank of monitors sat dormant up against the wall opposite to the door. Everything in the room looked neat and clean.

Except for the doors of course.

"There must be something in here that can tell us what Hinxton knows about my father," Kevin said.

"Tell you what," Tristan said. "You guys go check out his computer; Amara and I are going to look through the bookshelves."

"Looks like you can use your head, Taylor."

"Yeah, I even surprise myself… hey, wait a minute!"

* * *

The tower room was eerily quiet. To break the unnerving silence, Joey asked, "Hey Harold, who was that guy who jumped down just before the hole closed up?"

"No clue," Harold said crossing his arms. "But from the way he was dressed, he looked like one of Marik's Rare Hunters."

Joey gasped, "No way! I thought we kicked their butts at Battle City."

"So did I," Harold said, "which is why that theory is not possible."

Joey sighed, he didn't want to think back on the time that Marik controlled his and Tea's minds and made them duel Yugi and Harold. Harold was able to free Tea and it was only through the skin of his teeth that Joey survived. If the Rare Hunters were back, either through Marik or somebody else, Joey wasn't sure if they would be able to survive this time around.

* * *

"Odion, what are you doing here?" Yami-Yugi asked.

"Ishizu sent me to retrieve the Millennium Scale," Odion said. "But I guess you had the same idea."

"Apparently intruders are abundant," Andro Sphinx cracked.

"Silence your tongue, demon," Odion hissed. "That Millennium Item rightfully belongs to the Pharaoh!"

"And the only way he'll receive it is by winning this Shadow Game," Andro Sphinx declared.

"And win it I shall," Yami-Yugi declared activating his Duel Disk.

"Do not worry, my Pharaoh, I shall aid you," Odion said activating his own.

"Odion, wait," Yami-Yugi said. "You're perfectly aware of what happens when you lose a Shadow Game."

"I am," Odion confirmed. "That is why I'm aiding you against such a dangerous foe."

"You are going to need all the help you can get, Pharaoh," Andro Sphinx said, a Duel Disk growing on his arm. "Because you're never going to stand up to my Phantom Beast deck!"

"Very well," Yami-Yugi said to Odion. _In all honesty, I'm thankful Odion is aiding me, the last time it took Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon to defeat Andro Sphinx, and now the monster has somehow come alive. I don't know what the full story behind Anubis is, but I can't allow Andro Sphinx to resurrect him! _"It's time to duel!"

(A: 4000)  
(Y: 4000)  
(O: 4000)

"I'll give you a sporting chance, nobody will attack until we all have gone through a turn," Andro Sphinx suggested.

"Agreed," the other two replied.

"So with that said, I'll make the first move." Andro Sphinx drew his sixth card. "And I'll start with two cards face-down!"

"That's it?" Yami-Yugi asked.

"That's it."

"He's planning for something, Odion, be ready for anything," Yami-Yugi advised.

"I understand, my Pharaoh," Odion said. "I summon Pyramid Turtle in attack mode and next I play Card of Safe Return!"

_Odion's deck changed since Battle City, _Yami-Yugi noted. _I guess that shows how much Odion himself has changed from Marik's manservant._

"I'll end my turn now."

"Then it's my move," Yami-Yugi said. _I don't know what a Phantom Beast deck is, but knowing Andro Sphinx, it's perfect for a Shadow Game. _"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (2) in attack mode!"

"I reveal my trap card Equivalent Exchange," Andro Sphinx cried. "This not only destroys your Gazelle but it allows me to add one of my own."

"You have a Gazelle in your deck?"

"Of course, and I'm not coy to say that it's the key to my deck."

"I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"And now it's time for the torment to begin!" Andro Sphinx cried. "I summon my own Gazelle in attack mode and play Tribute to the Doom! Now by discarding one card, I can destroy a monster like Pyramid Turtle so it can't use its effect." The Pyramid Turtle exploded. "But that's not all, the card I discarded was Phantom Beast Cross-Wing (3) and since it's in the graveyard, Gazelle gains 300 attack points!" Gazelle roared.

(GKMB: 1500-1800)

_Now who to attack, _Andro Sphinx wondered. _Both of them have no monsters. But the Pharaoh has that face-down card which could prove troublesome for my Gazelle. I'll get rid of the Pharaoh's interfering friend and then with his spirit broken, I'll tear down his life points bit by bit. _"Gazelle, attack the interloper!" Gazelle slashed Odion on the side.

(A: 4000)  
(Y: 4000)  
(O: 2200)

"Odion!"

_He got almost half my life points in one shot, _Odion thought. _This shall be a long, hard duel, I must protect every life point I have or I'll never be able to help the Pharaoh. _He drew a card. "I summon Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower (4) in defense mode and play the magic card Book of Life to resurrect Pyramid Turtle from the graveyard." The Pyramid Turtle reappeared. "Now the effects of my cards kick in. Since a monster was summoned from the graveyard, Card of Safe Return activates allowing me to draw an extra card. And since Pyramid Turtle is now on the field, you can not attack my Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. Also, two cards from your deck get sent to the graveyard." The Duelists saw phantom images of Monster Reborn and Invader of Darkness (5) sent to the graveyard. Odion breathed a sigh of relief. _Getting rid of Monster Reborn means he can't resurrect any monster from the graveyard and Invader of Darkness had enough attack points to finish me in one turn. _"I end my turn."

_Odion saved himself that time, _Yami-Yugi thought. _But I'm going to have to pick up the pace. I only have one face-down card. _He drew a card. _But now I have a monster! _"I set another card face-down and summon Big-Shield Gardna (6) in defense mode. That's all for me."

"That shall be all for you," Andro Sphinx said. "I summon Phantom Beast Wild-Horn (7) in attack mode and since he's now on the field Cross-Wing gives him 300 extra attack points."

(PBWH: 1700-2000)

"Now attack his Big Shield Gardna!"

"But my Gardna has more defense points," Yami-Yugi protested as the Beast-Warrior's axe struck against the normal warrior's big shield.

(A: 3400)  
(Y: 4000)  
(O: 2200)

"Yes, but since I attacked your Big-Shield Gardna, it gets switch to attack mode now and with only 100 attack points, it's a sitting duck for my Gazelle!" Gazelle pounced and this time Gardna couldn't stand against the assault.

(A: 3400)  
(Y: 2300)  
(O: 2200)

"I reveal my trap card Soul Rope!" Yami-Yugi cried. "Now by paying 1000 life points when one of my monsters is destroyed, I can summon a four-star monster from my deck!'

(A: 3400)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 2200)

"And I choose my Queen's Knight (8)!"

"That ends my turn, now do you see the overwhelming power of my Phantom Beast deck!"

"There is no monster that can't be beat," Odion said drawing a card. "Observe as I sacrifice both Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower and Pyramid Turtle to summon Despair from the Dark!" The large shadow monster towered over Gazelle and Wild-Horn. "Attack Gazelle with Shadow Claw Slash!" The beast howled in pain as a giant claw cleaved it in two.

(A: 2400)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 2200)

"But my turn isn't over yet," Odion said. "I also activate the magic card Reload returning the rest of my hand to my deck to draw some brand new cards." Odion looked over his hand knowing that it wasn't his best one. "I set one more card face-down and end my turn." Odion turned to Yami-Yugi, "Do not worry, my Pharaoh, I shall protect you."

"Thank you, my friend," Yami-Yugi said. "It's my move and I summon King's Knight (9) in attack mode. And because I was able to summon him while Queen's Knight is out on the field, I get to summon Jack's Knight (10) directly from my deck. Next I reveal my other face-down card Legendary Sword giving Jack's Knight an extra 300 attack points as well."

(JK: 1900-2200)

"Jack's Knight, attack Wild-Horn!" The two monsters clashed and in the end, Jack's Knight slays Wild-Horn.

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 2200)

Now Andro Sphinx had the same number of life points as Odion, but both humans knew they couldn't rest up. There was just too much riding on this duel, the Millennium Scale vs. the resurrection of Anubis.

To Be Continued.

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Andro Sphinx  
Level: 9  
Type: Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 3000  
DEF: 2500

(2)  
Name: Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1200

(3)  
Name: Phantom Beast Cross-Wing  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1300  
DEF: 1300

(4)  
Name: Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower  
Level: 3  
Type: Zombie/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 400  
DEF: 1500

(5)  
Name: Invader of Darkness  
Level: 8  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK; 2900  
DEF: 2500

(6)  
Name: Big-Shield Gardna  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 100  
DEF: 2600

(7)  
Name: Phantom Beast Wild-Horn  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1700  
DEF: 0

(8)  
Name: Queen's Knight  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1500  
DEF: 1600

(9)  
Name: King's Knight  
Level: 4  
Type: Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1600  
DEF: 1400

(10)  
Name: Jack's Knight  
Level: 5  
Type: Warrior  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 1900  
DEF: 1000


	17. Tipping the Scale Pt 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 280: Tipping the Scale Pt 2: Phantom Zone

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi was shocked to discover that Senator Hinxton was in fact Andro Sphinx, the servant monster of Anubis. What was even more shocking (other than using Kevin to lure Yugi to him) was that Andro Sphinx was going to attempt to resurrect Anubis using the Millennium Scale. Yugi was further shocked to see that the cloaked figure who had been following him, the one who beat Shaheen and Doe was none other than Odion, sent by Ishizu to retrieve the Millennium Scale for the Pharaoh. Odion, with his new Zombie deck, and Yami-Yugi teamed up against Andro Sphinx and his Phantom Beast deck. Will the two be able to defeat Andro Sphinx before he resurrects Anubis? Meanwhile, Tristan, Faley, Kevin, Amara, and Kaiba set out to find evidence of Hinxton's involvement in the death of Dr. Hunter starting with Hinxton's study.

* * *

Andro Sphinx was chuckling as Yami-Yugi and Odion tensed up. "I can smell the fear coming from you, Pharaoh," Andro Sphinx said. "Is this the same smell that my master sensed right before you killed him?"

"Your master was insane," Yami-Yugi said bluntly. "He took control of Kaiba and tried to make him destroy me!"

"It wasn't that hard to do so, your rival Kaiba despised you for the longest time. I know how he feels; my master also despised you for a long time, thousands of years in fact."

"Why me?"

"My master asked the same question, why would an insignificant whelp be chosen to lead Egypt as Pharaoh instead of an elite military mind like Anubis? A military mind that I inherited, observe it in action as I play my trap card Needle Ceiling! When there are four or more monsters on the field, this trap card destroys all of them."

"Not all of them," Odion said. "I activate my own trap card Compulsory Evacuation Device which returns Despair from the Dark to my hand and out of the reach of your trap card."

"It doesn't matter," Andro Sphinx said. "I summon Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus (1) in defense mode. And don't forget my Cross-Wing, his special ability gives Thunder Pegasus 300 extra attack points."

(PBTP: 700-1000)

"Then I set another card face-down."

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 2200)

"Then it's my move," Odion said. "And I play my second Reload magic card." Odion returned three cards to his deck, reshuffled, and drew three more. "I set two more cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my move," Yami-Yugi said. "Jack's Knight, attack Thunder Pegasus!" Jack's Knight, his power increased because of Legendary Sword, lunged towards Thunder Pegasus and swung.

Andro Sphinx chuckled.

A wall of lightning rose up around Andro Sphinx's monster. "What was that?" Yami-Yugi asked.

"That, my dear Pharaoh, was the special ability of my Thunder Pegasus. It can negate any attack to a Phantom Beast monster."

Yami-Yugi grunted in frustration. "I switch my other two knights to defense mode and end my turn."

"Then it's my move," Andro Sphinx said and drew a card. _Excellent, this magic card should give me a boost over this meddlesome fools. _"I play Monster Reborn to revive Gazelle!"

"No you won't," Odion said. "I'll counter your magic card with my Magic Jammer trap card!"

"A counter trap!"

"Indeed, and by discarding a card I can negate and destroy any magic card." The holographic image of Monster Reborn crackled with electricity then burst apart.

"You'll pay for that," Andro Sphinx said. "I switch Thunder Pegasus to attack mode! Now attack the interloper directly! Thunder Wing!" The horse let out a whinny as its lightning wings blasted Odion. Odion screamed in pain.

"Odion!"

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 1200)

"That's what you get for interfering with our duel, you foolish human!"

Odion struggled to stand. "The last time I interfered with a duel, I was able to save the soul of my brother," he said. "And now, I shall protect another soul. I reveal my final trap card: Compulsory Evacuation Device to return Thunder Pegasus to your hand." The monster disappeared. "My Pharaoh, his field is empty and he has no face-down cards, as soon as I take my turn, you must use yours to attack."

"Odion, take a rest," Yami-Yugi pleaded. "You're injured."

"I have enough strength to take another turn," Odion said. He drew a card. _Call of the Mummy. Unfortunately, with no monsters in my hand, I can't use it. _"I end my turn. Pharaoh, now's your chance."

"I won't let your work be for nothing," Yami-Yugi said. "I sacrifice Queen's Knight to summon Dark Magician Girl (2)!" The blonde girl in light blue clothing carrying a staff appeared. _There, now even if he has something in his hand that can help him, he won't be able to use it against all my strong monsters. _"Dark Magician Girl, lead my two knights into battle!" The three monsters charged towards Anubis.

"Phantom Beast Kimera Gardna (3), come forth to defend me," Andro Sphinx called. An eagle-headed humanoid carrying two wing-shape shields appeared. Dark Magician Girl fired a blast from her scepter which got blocked. Kimera Gardna then spread its wing shields and used them to block attacks from King's and Jack's Knights.

"When I have no monsters on the field, I can automatically summon Kimera Gardna from my deck, he can negate attacks equal to the Number of Phantom Beast monsters in my graveyard. Since I had two, Gazelle and Cross-Wing, I could negate the attacks from your two strongest monsters. And with Kimera Gardna's 1600 defense points, it was just the right amoung to deflect your King's Knight."

"I'm sorry, Odion," Yami-Yugi said. "I wasted the chance you gave me."

"I'm afraid now is not the time to be remorseful, Pharaoh," Odion said. "Because it's his turn now."

* * *

The silence was killing Joey. He was beginning to wish that he gone with Tristan and the others but Yugi did a lot for him, the least he could do was wait for when Yugi will return.

If he returned.

Joey looked at Tea. She had been staring at the floor where Hinxton (and subsequently Yugi) disappeared into. What especially unnerved him was that Yugi and Tea almost fought like he and Tristan did, and even he would admit that sometimes their fights would turn physical. If Yugi hadn't gone after Hinxton, would their fight had turned physical? And all this so the Pharaoh wouldn't have to leave them? "Harold," Joey whispered. "Tea seemed set on not letting Yugi leave. Does she… uh…"

Harold had a feeling he knew what Joey wanted to ask so he nodded his head. "She does, poor Yugi, but I'm afraid it's more than just that."

"What do you mean?"

"It would be great if we could all remain like this forever," he lamented. "But eventually, we all move on, we grow, we change. Some of us can handle it. I mean look at Yugi, he's done changing in ways we could never believe and before we actually knew he was changing. But some of us can only handle so much change."

"You mean like Tea." Harold nodded again. "But… even if the Pharaoh did leave, Yugi would still be here. If Yugi was the one leaving and not the Pharaoh, would Tea feel the same way?"

"I'm afraid the only one who can answer that, Joey… is Tea."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tristan and his group were still in Hinxton's study. "That's weird," Tristan said as he scanned the book shelves with Amara. "All these books are on history. You'd think a politician like Hinxton would have more… I don't know… political reading material."

"These aren't just any history books, Tristan," Amara said. "They're all on Egypt."

"Great, maybe he and Yugi can chat Egyptian on the weekend," Kaiba said snidely.

"Sorry, kids," Faley said. "I thought I had the password to get into Hinxton's computer but apparently he changed it. If we're going to find out how or even if Hinxton knew Kevin's Dad, we won't learn it from here. This computer's locked up tighter than a drum."

"Stand aside," Kaiba said. "To break a computer, it'll take a computer." He took a PDA out of the inside pocket of his duster. He removed a cable from it and plugged it into a port on the back of the tower of the computer. He then touched the communicator pin at his lapel. "Mokuba, I know you're monitoring me."

"Can't keep anything from you, Seto, can I?" Came the reply.

"How cute, Mokuba keeping an eye on his big brother," Amara said.

'Without my permission," Kaiba put in. "Mokuba, access our decryption software and forward it to my PDA."

"Coming right up." Mokuba replied. Numbers began flashing on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Tristan asked.

"Since we can't open the front door, we'll just make one of our own." Kaiba's PDA beeped and files began appearing on the screen. "We're in, I'll do a search." A newspaper article came on the screen followed by another and another.

"Hey, these articles are all about Hinxton," Amara noted.

"This guy must love reading about himself," Tristan commented.

For a while, the only sound was the soft click as newspaper article after newspaper article appeared.

"These articles must go back years, even decades," Amara critiqued.

Kevin suddenly gasped. "Kaiba, could I see that thing?" Kaiba, after a second of thought, turned the PDA over to Kevin. Kevin rapidly scrolled through the articles and clippings. Finally, he stopped on one. "This is it, this is the one."

"What is?" Faley asked.

Kevin showed the others the PDA. It had an article of a smiling (younger) Hinxton shaking the hand of some foreign dignitary in front of the Domino museum. "This picture was taken two days after my father was killed and at the very same place too."

"I get it," Tristan said. "The culprit always returns to the scene of the crime."

"Taylor, that old adage doesn't always hold true," Kaiba said.

"You're right, Kaiba, but there's something more. Take a closer look at the picture." Kaiba zoomed in the screen so that the picture would appear larger. Behind Hinxton was a car, old model. The license plate was knocked off its hinges and there was a dent on the roof. "It's not much, but it's enough to go on. Faley, does Hinxton still have this car?"

"If he does, it will be the garage with the others."

"We didn't see a garage on our way here," Tristan said.

"That's because it's built into the mountain."

"Geez, this guy has to be richer than you, Kaiba," Tristan cracked.

"Tristan, let's go," Kevin said firmly and took off.

"Right behind you, man."

"Hey wait up, you don't know which way you're going," Faley said.

"Maybe we should stay here and run through Hinxton's computer files see what else he has," Amara said to Kaiba.

"You think?" Kaiba retorted.

* * *

"It's my move," Andro Sphinx cried. "Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus, appear again!" The horse reappeared flying around Yami-Yugi and Odion. "Now attack the interloper, Thunder Wing!" Once again electricity coursed through Odion's body."

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1300)  
(O: 200)

"I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

_I must hold on for one more turn, _Odion thought as he drew a card. "I play Pot of Greed so I draw two more cards." The two cards he drew were the magic card Creature Swap and the trap card Torrential Tribute. _Nothing but magic and trap cards but Torrential Tribute will help me. It can destroy all monsters on the field. But there is a huge problem in using it. The Pharaoh could be planning on summoning a strong monster so I could be destroying all of his monsters and leaving him defenseless. Also, the card can only be activated if the opponent summons a monster. He must know I have no monsters I can summon so he might not see the need to summon any more monsters leaving my life points wide open. But there is one dangerous option left. If I learned anything from my duel against Joseph Wheeler, it's that it's not always the cards which can outwit your opponent, but your state of mind as well. I must make Andro Sphinx believe that my hand is better than it actually is so he'll be forced to summon a monster. It's a long shot but I have no choice, I must protect the Pharaoh's life points even if it means putting my own at risk. _"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

_If I know Odion's strategies, his strength lies in his magic and trap cards, _Yami-Yugi thought. _So since he didn't summon any monsters, one of those face-down cards must be a powerful trap card and the other must be a bluff. But which card is which? Odion's been using a Zombie deck. If I know zombie decks, most of their support cards are designed to destroy large amount of monsters so that must be what his trap card is designed to do. I can afford to lose my two knights but my Dark Magician Girl is too important for me to lose especially with no cards that can return her to the field or even my hand. _Yami-Yugi drew a card. _Yes, with this card, I think I can make Odion's plan work and protect my strongest monster. _"Behold, the magic card Time Travel. With this, I can send my Dark Magician Girl into the future." Dark Magician Girl nodded and disappeared. "She'll be back at the beginning of your next turn, Andro Sphinx. But before that happens, I activate another magic card, Obligatory Summons!"

"Ah, yes, I recall that card. Your rival used it to bring out your Egyptian God Cards."

"That's right but you won't be so fortunate to see them today, you must bring out three more monsters that match the type you have on the field." Currently, Andro Sphinx had only two Beast-Warrior type monsters: his Phantom Beasts Thunder Pegasus and Kimera Gardna so Andro Sphinx summoned three more of his Phantom Beasts: Ancient Baboon (4), Yeti (5) and Garuda (6).

_Now is my chance. _"I reveal my trap card Torrential Tribute!"

"No, that's why you made me summon so many monsters."

"Yes, so I can destroy them all." Several twisters picked up and destroyed the Phantom Beast monsters and Yami-Yugi's knights.

"Ancient Baboon's special ability allows me to draw two cards," Andro Sphinx said as two cards magically appeared in his hand. "And Garuda allows me to destroy a magic or trap card on your side for each Phantom Beast monster in the graveyard." All of Yami-Yugi's and Odion's face-down cards exploded. Andro Sphinx started his turn.

"Hold on a second," Yami-Yugi said. "The power of my Time Travel card has ended and my Dark Magician Girl returns to me." The spellcaster reappeared.

"It doesn't matter, thanks to you, Interloper, I now have the means by which to defeat you and the Pharaoh. I play the field card Phantom Zone!" Smoke whirled around them. They could hear the pitter patter of animal footsteps. While this card is on the field, I can remove Phantom Beast monsters from my graveyard to inflict damage to your life points. 100 points to be exact." Yami-Yugi and Odion felt claw marks slash across them.

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1200)  
(O: 100)

_I have to hold on for one more turn, _Odion thought. _Please, let this next card be one that can help the Pharaoh! _He drew a card.

"Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Yes!" Yami-Yugi cried. Another twister kicked up and destroyed the smoke around them.

"You fools, your magic card did nothing!"

"What?"

"By removing another Phantom Beast card from my graveyard, I can keep my Phantom Zone on the field."

_I failed… I failed the Pharaoh… _"That… ends… my turn." Odion crouched to one knee.

"Odion," Yami-Yugi called out then he too almost dropped to both knees.

_"Don't forget, this is a Shadow Game, _Yugi reminded Yami. _"The attacks are real. Andro Sphinx warned us as much."_

_"I remember," Yami replied._

"My Pharaoh," Odion said. "I'm sorry, I thought I would be able to protect you but I failed."

"No, Odion…"

"Please, you must beat this beast! You did it before, you can do it again. You have grown very strong since Battle City, I believe you are ready for the challenges that lie ahead."

"Don't worry, Odion, I won't let you be taken into the shadows again," Yami-Yugi said as he drew a card. _I can't do anything until my Dark Magician Girl returns at the start of Andro Sphinx's turn. _"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's time to cease your meddling once and for all," Andro Sphinx said. "I activate the special ability of my Phantom Zone field card. I remove two more Phantom Beast monsters to inflict 100 points of damage to each of you!" Yami-Yugi and Odion felt like they were stabbed.

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1100)  
(O: 0)

Yami-Yugi struggled towards Odion. "Odion…"

"I won't let you rest in the comfort of death," Andro Sphinx said. The sarcophagus of Anubis opened up and tendrils of energy wrapped around Odion. The former Rare Hunter was pulled into the sarcophagus. With a thud, the top half shut.

"Odion!" Yami-Yugi turned to Andro Sphinx. "What did you do with him, you animal?"

"He's inside the sarcophagus of Anubis where his soul will slowly be devoured. And once I win your puzzle, I'll infuse Anubis's soul and he will be resurrected!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yami-Yugi said. "If you've forgotten, I sent my Dark Magician Girl into the future and now she returns." Dark Magician Girl appeared.

"It doesn't matter," Andro Sphinx said. "Because I'm about to unleash a new power, a power you recognize all too well."

"All too well… oh no! You couldn't! You can't!"

"I can," Andro Sphinx said. "It's time for the return of the instrument of your ultimate destruction! Open trap card!" Slowly, Andro Sphinx's face-down card was revealed. It had the picture of a gold pyramid on it. "The Pyramid of Light!"

To Be Continued.

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 700  
DEF: 2000

(2)  
Name: Dark Magician Girl  
Level: 6  
Type: Spellcaster/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 1700

(3)  
Name: Phantom Beast Kimera Gardna  
Level: 3  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 800  
DEF: 1600  
You can Special Summon this monster from your deck when your opponent attacks you directly. Negate attacks from your opponent's monsters equal to the number of "Phantom Beast" monsters (or Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts) in your graveyard.

(4)  
Name: Phantom Beast Ancient Baboon  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Earth  
ATK: 1600  
DEF: 1400  
When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, draw 2 cards from your deck.

(5)  
Name: Phantom Beast Yeti  
Level: 4  
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect  
Attribute: Water  
ATK: 1300  
DEF: 1500  
When this card is targeted for an attack, reduce the original ATK of this monster by half.

(6)  
Name: Phantom Beast Garuda  
Level: 3  
Type: Winged-Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Wind  
ATK: 900  
DEF: 1200  
When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, destroy a number of Spell/Trap cards on your opponent's side of the field equal to the number of "Phantom Beast" monsters (or Gazelle the King of Mythical Beast) in your graveyard.


	18. Tipping the Scale Pt 3

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 281: Tipping the Scale Pt 3: Return of the Pyramid

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! While Kevin's group uncovered a clue to the connection between Dr. Hunter and Hinxton, Yami-Yugi and Odion were struggling against Andro Sphinx and his Phantom Beast deck. Odion, despite his vow to protect and help the Pharaoh defeat this evil, was taking the most damage and even an attempt to destroy Andro Sphinx's ultra-powerful Phantom Zone field card was for naught as Odion was the first among the three Duelists to fall. But Andro Sphinx had a worse fate in store for the former Rare Hunter, absorbing him into the sarcophagus of Anubis. There, Odion's soul will be separated and the body used as the new vessel for Anubis. Of course, that would only happen if Andro Sphinx could win the Millennium Puzzle. But that possibility was made even more plausible as Andro Sphinx played a card that Yami-Yugi wished he would never see again: The Pyramid of Light.

* * *

Faley, Tristan, and Kevin ran through the maze of hallways. "The garage is in here," Faley said opening a door.

The garage was about as long as a football field and a ramp led up. Every type of car imaginable (including motorcycles) was lined up like a procession.

"Geez, just how much money does Hinxton have?" Tristan asked.

"Don't ask," Faley replied.

Kevin looked around and spotted a light blue car towards the back of the garage. "There's the car in the picture," he said running over to it. "Look at this."

Tristan and Faley took a closer look at the car.

The hood of the car that was on the picture was smooth, unblemished. "Is this the right car?" Kevin asked.

Tristan looked around, "It's the only one that closely fits the picture. Maybe Hinxton got rid of that car and got himself a new one."

Kevin got into the car and sat behind the wheel. The inside looked like it's never been used. He could even smell the bleach used.

Wait, old cars aren't supposed to smell like bleach.

"I once watched this television show," Tristan was telling Faley, "Where this guy said that to solve a crime, you must find evidence to link the suspect to both the crime and the victim. We know Hinxton has at least heard of Dr. Hunter, so why would he have a beef to pick with him, I mean Dr. Hunter was never in politics, was he, Kevin?" Tristan leaned into the car and saw Kevin half leaning into the back seat. "Uh… Kevin, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get something," Kevin replied.

Tristan and Faley shared a confused look.

* * *

Back in Hinxton's office, Amara was twirling in Hinxton's chair while Kaiba, through his palm pilot, scrolled through Hinxton's files.

"It seems like Hinxton's been waste-deep in political scandal," Kaiba commented.

"And this is me not being surprised," Amara said twirling in the chair again all the while staring up at the ceiling. "He's a politician, it's an automatic given that he would be involved in some sort of scandal. In America, scandalous politicians are a dime a dozen."

"This rat is guilty of everything but murder."

"And even that's up in the air," Amara put in.

Kaiba stopped his scrolling and let out a hiss, "Dartz!"

"Huh?" Amara rolled the chair over to Kaiba. Kaiba had a document on the screen. It was written by Hinxton and addressed to the Doma Group. "So Hinxton really was the political force behind the Doma Group, something like this could be pretty damaging. But I can't help but wonder who was using who here? Was the Doma Group using Hinxton or was Hinxton using the Doma Group."

"We may never know."

* * *

The ground underneath Yami-Yugi started to shake. Four beams of light shot out around the Duelists. The beams of light came together at the top to form a pyramid. The space between them began filling up with a wall.

_I never thought I would be facing down the Pyramid of Light again, _Yami-Yugi thought. Even Dark Magician Girl looked up tensely at the Pyramid which now encompassed them.

(A: 2200)  
(Y: 1100)

"Though I may not have the power of my master Anubis," Andro Sphinx said. "I assure you this Pyramid of Light is just as dangerous as the one you faced before. You see by paying 500 life points, I can summon one of my special sphinx monsters."

(A: 1700)  
(Y: 1100)

"Now let me introduce you… or re-introduce you to someone who is very close to my heart and the heart of Anubis… Sphinx Teleia (1)!" A burst of light produced a quadruped monster. It had the head of a woman with long wavy purple hair. Her body was that of a lion plus it had wings. She flew around the Pharaoh before landing by Andro Sphinx. "You remember her, don't you, Pharaoh? Well she remembers you, she remembers how you destroyed her life."

"Don't try guilt tripping me, Andro Sphinx, your master sent her to attack me!"

"I am not talking about when you faced us at the Duel Dome, but what happened 3000 years ago."

"What do you mean? What did I do?"

"You destroyed Anubis! Therefore you destroyed her. You see, Pharaoh, she and Anubis… were lovers!"

Yami-Yugi recoiled in horror and disgust, then pondered Andro Sphinx's words. "But that's not possible, not unless…" Yami-Yugi's face went pale.

"So you've figured it out, good to know 3000 years hasn't dulled your mind. Yes, Teleia, and I… were once human!"

"My God, it's not possible," Yami-Yugi gasped.

"It is," Andro Sphinx confirmed.

* * *

_3000 years ago, Teleia and I were Anubis's most loyal servants. Our loyalty was so unquestioned that Anubis used his Pyramid of Light artifact to bond our fates would be entwined with his own. Unfortunately for us, when you defeated Anubis 3000 years ago, we were sealed into stone tablets until Anubis was freed in the modern time._

* * *

"But when you destroyed my master's Pyramid of Light for a second time at the Duel Dome, you severed our bond. Teleia was separated from Anubis as I was from the two of them."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" Yami-Yugi asked. "Your master tried to destroy the world 3000 years ago! I had no choice but to stop him just as I had no choice but to stop him when he took control of Kaiba. You wrote your own fate when you signed up for his side."

"You'll pay for your slander, Pharaoh." He set a card face-down. "Go!"

_If I remember Teleia's special effect, when she destroys a monster in defense mode, half of that monster's defense points get taken out of my life points. Fortunately, my monster is in attack mode. Even so, attacking would've put a serious dent in my life points. So why didn't he attack? I can't waste this opportunity! _"You've made a grave mistake in not attacking me, Andro-Sphinx."

"It was a mistake I had no choice in making, when Teleia can not attack on the turn she is summoned."

_Well that explains that. _"I reveal my face-down magic card Sage's Stone!"

"Not that card!"

"Yes, this card. And I'm sure you know its power all too well. When Dark Magician Girl is out on the field…" Dark Magician Girl placed down her scepter and cupped her hands like she was holding a basketball. An orb of blue light appeared between them. Dark Magician Girl threw the orb up into the air where it suddenly became a vortex. "I can use Sage's Stone to summon from my deck… Dark Magician (2)!" The purple-robed spellcaster burst from the vortex and landed next to Dark Magician Girl. Both magicians brandished their staffs in a threatening manner.

Andro Sphinx grunted. "I shouldn't be surprised, you always rely on your servant when you're about to lose."

"Both of my Dark Magicians are more than just servants, they're my friends. I know the concept is something you might find hard to comprehend after being a servant to Anubis for over 3000 years, but friendship forms a different kind of bond, a bond that lasts forever and produces a magic more powerful than mere servitude. I would risk everything for my friends and I know they would feel the same for me."

"Your friendship means nothing! Sphinx Teleia has over 3000 defense points so neither of your monsters can attack!"

"Well if you think that friendship is so weak," Yami-Yugi said putting a card face-down. "Then prove it and attack."

"I will," Andro Sphinx. "But first, I think it's time to introduce you to another old friend."

"Huh?"

"Once again, I pay 500 life points."

(A: 1200)  
(Y: 1100)

"Now I can summon the other Sphinx monster."

"But the only other Sphinx monster is you!"

"Precisely!" An exact copy of Andro Sphinx appeared. "And his special ability is the same as Teleia except its half of the destroyed monster's attack points that get taken out of your life points. I also switch Teleia to attack mode! Now attack his Dark Magician Girl."

"I don't think so, go trap card: Spellbinding Circle!" A circle appeared and blocked the attack. Then it flew over under Sphinx Teleia. "Now Teleia can't attack!"

"Teleia!" Andro Sphinx cried as his sister Sphinx cried out. "You'll pay for that, Pharaoh!"

* * *

"So what is it you found, Kevin?" Tristan asked.

Kevin flattened out a small piece of paper. "It's some kind of receipt," he said. "A dry-cleaning receipt… and look at the date, it's the exact day my father was killed!"

"I find it a little hard to believe that your father would stop off to pick up his dry-cleaning before or after killing your father, Kevin," Tristan said.

"Yeah, but look at the address of the dry-cleaners, it's right up the street from the museum!"

"So Hinxton was in the neighborhood the night your father was killed," Tristan said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean he did it or even saw who did it," Faley pointed out.

Kevin stared at the receipt. "It's not much, I'll grant you, but it's definitely a good starting point. Let's see what else we can find."

"Yes."

* * *

"No."

"Oh come on, Kaiba, it'll be the next big craze."

"Look, Pennfield, I'm not going to waste my company time on worthless fantasies."

"It's not worthless, Kaiba, you already created the VR gear, all you need is the software and you have the next version of Duel Monsters, even Pegasus would be impressed."

"Like I want to impress that old fart," Kaiba grumbled. "Next thing you'll be suggesting is dueling motorcycles."

"So you saw that movie too, huh?"

"Idiot," Kaiba grumbled and kicked Amara's chair. The chair, with Amara in it, went flying into the book shelf. The collision caused several books to fall off the shelves, a couple even hitting Amara in the head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Amara winced. "Watch where you're kicking, you overgrown gorilla!" She snapped. She then looked down at a book that fell into her lap. "Hey, this isn't Egyptian or political," she said. "It's a yearbook."

"Since when are you interested in looking at pictures, Amara? Oh wait, I forgot who you hung around with."

"Bite me, Kaiba, at least I choose to hang around others." Amara opened the yearbook and immediately snickered. "Hey Kaiba, look, it's Hinxton." She showed him a picture of a smaller, scrawnier, more disheveled Hinxton.

"He was even dorkier as a kid."

"That's for sure," Amara said as she turned a page.

Her eyes nearly burst from their sockets. "Holy crap!"

More out of instinct than curiosity, Kaiba looked at the girl. She was pale-faced and her breathing was labored. "What's wrong?"

"Kaiba, you better take a look at this." She showed Kaiba a different page in the yearbook.

Kaiba too almost went bug-eyed. "It looks like we have to tell Hunter about this."

"Yeah, I'll go get them." Amara turned to leave but then skidded to a halt. "Except I have no idea which way they went."

Kaiba sighed and went over to the bank of monitors and a microphone. "Hinxton talked to us through a P.A. system, let's see if we can do the same."

* * *

"It's my move," Yami-Yugi said drawing a card. "I play Pot of Greed so I draw two new cards." He snapped two cards out of his deck. _Okay, Yugi, think, his Teleia has 2500 attack points and 3000 defense points while his other sphinx has 3000 attack points and 2500 defense points. Right now, neither of my monsters can beat either of his. But… _Suddenly Yami-Yugi said something odd, an energy string connecting the monsters to Andro Sphinx through the Pyramid of Light. _There's some type of link between Andro Sphinx's monsters and himself and it's all through the Pyramid of Light. That's it, the last time I was able to destroy the monsters by destroying the Pyramid of Light! I need to destroy that again. _"I play the magic card Dark Magic Attack!"

"Your monster's attack is a card?"

"Correct, and with it, I can destroy your Pyramid of Light as well as any other magic or trap card you have on the field." Dark Magician leapt over the two Duel Monsters and fired a blast from his staff. The blast destroyed all of Andro Sphinx's trap cards.

Sphinx Teleia and the Andro Sphinx monster cried out as they were both destroyed.

"Teleia!" Andro Sphinx cried. The Pyramid of Light eroded away leaving them on the cavern bluff. "You'll pay dearly for that, Pharaoh."

"It's you who will pay, for with no monsters on the field, your life points are wide open! Dark Magician Girl, attack!"

"I'm not as defenseless as you might think, I pay 500 more life points."

(A: 700)  
(Y: 1200)

"Now I can pool my monsters' powers together to form the ultimate sphinx monster: Theinen the Great Sphinx (3)!"

* * *

"Looks like we found everything there is to find here," Faley said.

"I was sure there would be something more," Kevin said. "There just has to be."

"Calm down, Kevin," Tristan said. "We have a semi-solid lead. Maybe if we find this dry cleaner, he can tell us if…"

"Hello? Is this thing on? Tristan, Kevin, can you guys hear me?"

"Is that Amara?" Tristan asked.

"I think it is," Kevin confirmed.

"You guys better come back here A.S.A.P., there's something Kevin has to see."

"That doesn't sound good," Kevin said.

"Let's go!" The three hurried back to Hinxton's study. "Amara, we got your message. What's up?"

"Take a look at this!" Amara slid the yearbook across Hinxton's desk.

"You called us back just to show us Hinxton when he was a kid?"

"Turn the page, you idiot," Kaiba said.

Tristan turned the page. "What the heck? Is this for real?"

"Let me see," Kevin said and took the yearbook from Tristan.

On the top of a page was a picture of a young blond man. The name underneath the picture read "Adam Hunter." "This can't be real." He flipped to the front cover. "And yet my father did attend this school. But he never told me he knew Andros Hinxton."

"There's more," Amara said. "This is a senior yearbook. The seniors all have their school profiles written on there as well as any future plans they might have. Your father and Hinxton were both in the mythology club, the philosophy club, student council, and the Egyptology Club."

"It's almost like they were trying to mimic one another," Tristan deduced.

"But there's one key difference," Kaiba pointed out. "Dr. Hunter's grade point average is a tenth of a point higher than Hinxton. While to you dorks, that may not seem like much…"

"A tenth of a point can mean a huge difference between a straight A student and an A and B student, the difference between valedictorian and salutatorian," Amara finished.

"If I was Hinxton, I'd be pissed that someone who was in all the same clubs as me was doing a lot better than me," Tristan said.

"Exactly, Taylor," Kaiba said. "We just found motive."

"So we linked the suspect to the victim," Tristan said. "And we linked the suspect to the crime scene with this dry cleaning receipt we found. Guys, it look like we just solved this mystery."

The floor underneath them started to shake violently throwing everyone to the ground. "What was that?"

* * *

Joey, Harold, and Tea also felt it. "Now what?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling," Harold said.

Joey hushed Harold and clamped his mouth shut. "Not in front of Tea," he hissed.

Tea fisted her hand. "Yugi," she whispered.

* * *

A large explosion came from Andro Sphinx's side of the field. Yami-Yugi shielded his face with his Duel Disk. A loud roar filled the cavern as a creature appeared. It was Andro Sphinx's upper body on Sphinx Teleia's body. "Welcome, Theinen," Andro Sphinx said. "Are you ready to extract your vengeance on the Pharaoh?" Theinen roared. "Very good, now, Pharaoh, it's time for your end!"

To Be Continued

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Sphinx Teleia  
Level: 10  
Type: Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 2500  
DEF: 3000

(2)  
Name: Dark Magician  
Level: 7  
Type: Spellcaster  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 2500  
DEF: 2100

(3)  
Name: Theinen the Great Sphinx  
Level: 10  
Type: Beast/Effect  
Attribute: Light  
ATK: 3500  
DEF: 3000


	19. Tipping the Scale Pt 4

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar  
Quest for the Seventh Item

Fanfic Chapter 282: Tipping the Scale Pt 4: Retribution

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami-Yugi was forced to face the cards that gave him so much difficulty, the cards which almost took his life and soul as well as destroy the world: the Pyramid of Light trap card which was the key to summon Sphinx Teleia, once the human lover to Anubis, now a vicious Shadow Monster. Andro Sphinx also summoned a monster version of himself. With two monsters stronger than his Dark Magicians, Yami-Yugi knew he couldn't attack them directly, but thanks to the magic card Dark Magic Attack, Yami-Yugi was able to destroy the Pyramid of Light, and thus, destroyed the monsters. But all he really did was give Andro Sphinx the conditions he needed to pool the two Sphinx monsters' powers together to form Theinen the Great Sphinx with over 3500 attack points. Tristan's group had more luck discovering a receipt that put Hinxton at or at least near the museum the night of the murder. And they also discovered that Hinxton and Dr. Hunter attended the same school, engaged in the same activities, with Hunter one-uping on Hinxton giving a plausible reason behind the theory that Hinxton did kill Dr. Hunter. One mystery is solved but can Yami-Yugi obtain the Millennium Scale?

* * *

Theinen loomed over Yami-Yugi growling. "I love your fear," Andro Sphinx said. "It was thanks to Kaiba's aid that you were able to beat him before, but now you have nobody backing you up. The one ally who was aiding you is now being prepared to become the new vessel of Anubis and all your other cohorts are too far away to be of any help. And I know that you can't do anything alone!"

"You underestimate my power, Andro Sphinx," Yami-Yugi said. "I switch Dark Magician Girl to defense mode and end my turn."

"Oh yeah, that's your true power," Andro Sphinx mocked. "The power to cower and hide, here is my true power. I pay 500 more life points to raise Theinen's attack points by 3000!"

"Three thousand!" Yami-Yugi gasped.

(A: 200)  
(Y: 1200)

(TGS: 3500-6500)

"I also equip Theinen with Fairy Meteor Crush, now no matter what position your monster is in, you will lose life points. Theinen, attack his Dark Magician Girl! Victory is mine!" Theinen rose into the air, a large ball of energy formed in between its hands. Theinen released it at Dark Magician Girl.

"Victory isn't yours just yet," Yami-Yugi said sliding a card into the graveyard. Kuriboh (1) appeared. "Kuriboh, I need you now more than ever," Yami-Yugi said. "Protect us from that attack!" Kuriboh let out a firm coo and flew up in front of the blast. The blast engulfed Kuriboh but never reached Dark Magician Girl.

"How could that fur ball block my big attack?" Andro Sphinx asked.

"That's the miracle of Kuriboh," Yami-Yugi said. "Since I sent it to the graveyard, neither I nor Dark Magician Girl received any damage."

Andro Sphinx let out a loud growl which caused the cave around them to shake. "I don't need Theinen's special ability, I can destroy you the old fashion way!"

(TGS: 6500-3500)

"Maybe next turn," Yami-Yugi said drawing a card. _Kuriboh, your sacrifice wasn't in vane, you allowed me to survive for another turn. _"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Theinen, attack Dark Magician Girl again!" The monster lunged at Dark Magician Girl.

"I reveal my face-down magic card Reliable Guardian to raise Dark Magician Girl's defense points by 700."

(DMG: 1700-2400)

"It's too little, too late!" Andro Sphinx cried as Theinen stabbed its hand into Dark Magician Girl's stomach. Dark Magician Girl dropped her scepter and her body went limp before shattering.

(A: 200)  
(Y: 100)

_Though I hate having Dark Magician Girl sacrificed, _Yami-Yugi admitted mentally. _At least I was able to preserve some of my life points. But with my life points so low, there's no more room for error. If I don't finish him off now, he'll finish me off! Please, heart of the cards, I need your help. _As Yami-Yugi drew a card, he felt a flash of warmth wash over him. He looked at the card and then up at Dark Magician. The two shared a nod. "I play a magic card, Thousand Knives!"

"But… with that…"

"That's right I can destroy a monster, just like… Theinen!" Dark Magician aimed his scepter. Knives came out of the jeweled end and stuck into Theinen's hide. Dark Magician kept firing until Theinen looked like a pin cushion. Finally, Theinen broke apart.

"Theinen! You destroyed the bond I shared with my sister and master!"

"The bond you and your sister shared with Anubis was nothing but a bond of servitude, a fake bond. Tell me, if you or Teleia were in trouble, would Anubis come to your rescue?"

"Of… of course he would."

"You sure, that doesn't sound very convincing. True bonds come from helping one another, you've helped Anubis, but has Anubis helped you?"

Any reply Andro Sphinx was about to give was interrupted by a huge rumbling.

* * *

In Hinxton's study, the others felt the shaking. "Great, if it isn't one thing, it's another," Tristan complained.

"Seto, can you hear me?" Mokuba asked through Kaiba's communication pin. "One of our geological satellites is reporting that your area is becoming very unstable."

"Elaborate," Kaiba requested.

"I'm accessing geological scans now. The mansion seems to have been built right between the tectonic plates."

"Yet more proof of Hinxton's instability," Amara said.

"There's more," Mokuba continued. "Comparing seismic records with the current shift indicate that the shift between the tectonic plates has decreased in dilation."

"What does that mean?" Amara asked.

"It means that the earthquakes won't be stopping any time soon," Kaiba explained.

"I ran some calculations and if the time between dilations keeps decreasing at this rate, you have about five minutes before the entire place comes crashing down on you!"

"Time to abandon ship," Kevin said.

"Just a second," Amara said. "I'll sound the evacuation alarm."

* * *

Amara's voice rang out over the PA system. Titan and Crowler were in their respective chambers. Shaheen and Gerard were in the hallways and Doe was still on the ramparts. "Everyone, listen, this place is standing on a fault line, it's going to collapse at any moment! You have to evacuate now!"

Crowler's high-pitch scream succeeded the announcement.

* * *

"You hear that, man?" Joey asked.

"No, I'm deaf as Beethoven," Harold said sarcastically. "Come on, Tea, time to abandon ship."

Tea looked from Harold and Joey to the ground behind her. "But… Yugi…"

Joey and Harold looked at each other before Harold said, "We'll wait two more minutes for him but if this place comes down around us, we're getting out of here no arguments."

* * *

"This place is going to come down around us," Yami-Yugi realized.

"How fitting," Andro Sphinx said. "I will go down destroying you, a fitting tribute to my master."

"The only one who's going to be destroyed is you," Yami-Yugi said. "For you see, I haven't attacked you yet. Dark Magician, attack him directly!"

"Go ahead, I'll just obliterate your Dark Magician and the rest of your life points!"

"No you won't," Yami-Yugi said as Dark Magician rushed towards Andro Sphinx. "Or have you forgotten that you're acting as Duelist, not as a Duel Monster." Andro Sphinx gasped. "Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician fired a blast from his staff. Andro Sphinx attempted to block that but slowly the blast hit him.

"No," Andro Sphinx cried. "I was so close! I WAS SO CLOSE!" The energy struck his body.

(A: 0)  
(Y: 100)

Yami-Yugi breathed a sigh of relief as the black smoke started to converge on Andro Sphinx. Odion burst out of the sarcophagus and landed on the bridge. "My Pharaoh!"

"Odion, are you all right?" Yami-Yugi asked.

"Yes, thanks to you. Once again, I owe you a lot."

"I was thankful for your help," Yami-Yugi said.

The trembling started to increase.

* * *

"How do we get out of here?" Kevin asked.

"We won't be able to go back the way we came," Tristan said.

Faley reached under the desk and pressed something. A soft click came from the bookshelf. Faley went over and pushed a bookshelf in to reveal a secret passageway. "Hinxton built in several of these escape tunnels throughout the castle and surrounding grounds just in case he needed to get out quick."

"Figures a rat would have a way to escape from a sinking ship," Kaiba cracked.

"Save your jabbing for when we're in safer territory," Tristan said. Everyone entered the passageway just as the ceiling started to collapse onto the study.

* * *

"That's it, no more waiting," Harold said. "We're getting out of dodge!"

"No, we have to wait for Yugi," Tea said. "He might be in trouble, we must help him!"

"Before we can help Yugi, we have to live long enough to help him, so come on!" Joey grabbed Tea's hand and started to lead her over to the door.

The door then collapsed blocking them in. "Game over, man, game over," Joey said.

"Not yet," Harold said eyeing the window.

Tea tore away from Joey and ran over to the hatch and tried to pry it open.

"Tea, we can't get to him," Harold protested.

"We have to, we just have to rescue him."

"Are you sure it's Yugi you're worried about?" Harold asked firmly.

Tea froze up, her eyes just staring ahead. That enabled Harold to take her hand and lead her over to Joey.

"That was harsh, man," Joey whispered.

"It had to be done to protect her life," Harold whispered back. "Otherwise she would've perished along with this mansion."

* * *

"Hinxton must have had a way to escape if he won the duel," Odion said.

"Let's head back to the shaft we fell through, maybe there's…" But just then the bridge collapsed stranding the two Duelists on the bluff. "Oh no!"

"We're trapped."

"The scale…" The two turned and saw Hinxton, the actual Andros Hinxton, lying on the floor. Losing the duel to Yami-Yugi had banished Andro Sphinx's spirit to the Shadow Realm. Going over to the fallen Senator, they saw Hinxton point weakly towards the scale. "Underneath the scale… there is a button… it will open a passageway… that'll lead you out the other side of the mountain."

Yami-Yugi nodded in understanding and then turned to Odion. "Odion, can you help me carry him?"

"Of course, Pharaoh."

"No!" Hinxton cried hoarsely. "You'll never escape in time with me weighing you down."

"But Hinxton…"

"Yugi, I appreciate your concern but I do not deserve it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I did some horrible things. I lied, I supported a group trying to take over the world; I even killed Adam Hunter, my best friend." Yami-Yugi gasped at the revelation. "He and I were friends in school but deep down I resented him for always one-upping me. That is why I did what I did."

"That wasn't you, that was Andro Sphinx," Yami-Yugi protested.

"No, Andro Sphinx merely brought the anger and jealousy I kept bottled up for years to the surface and made me act on it. But the idea was all mine for that alone I should be left here to die. So you see, you deserve the Millennium Scale and a chance to escape, I deserve to remain here to die. But… Yugi… if you could do me one small favor… tell Kevin Hunter… that I shall suffer for my sins and his vengeance is fulfilled. Now go, before it's too late."

Yami-Yugi and Odion shared a concerned look before going over to the stone platform the Millennium Scale sat upon. Lifting it up, Odion revealed a red button. Pressing it caused a section of the wall to slide out and down revealing a set of stone steps.

"Odion," Yami-Yugi said. "I can understand where Hinxton is coming from, but I could not in good conscience just leave a man to die no matter what crimes he committed. We have to take him with us."

"The Pharaoh's word is law," Odion said. "Let us make haste." But as they turned to go back to Hinxton, the bluff they were on split in two and the half that Hinxton was on tumbled into the chasm.

"We were too late," Yami-Yugi said.

"Come, my Pharaoh, there is nothing more we can do." The two ascended the stone steps. Once they got past the threshold, Odion spotted another button and pressing it caused the wall to assume its original position blocking any excess debris from assaulting them.

* * *

On the outside, Tristan, Kevin, Kaiba, Faley, and Amara watched along with Titan, Crowler, Gerard, and Shaheen as the castle mansion started to implode around itself.

"Well there goes my summer job," Crowler sighed. "I wonder if that life guard job is still available.

Tristan looked around. "Oh no, Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Harold aren't here."

"They must still be in the tower," Kevin said.

"The same tower that's coming down right now," Kaiba pointed out.

Tristan, Amara, and Kevin watched in horror.

Suddenly, a piece of the roof of the tower burst outward. Harold (in his Avatar costume), holding Tea by the wrist and with Joey holding onto his back flew out. As they fell towards the ground, Harold fired his armlet. The shield pressed into the ground cushioning their descent.

"Man, Harold, must you always cut it close?" Tristan asked.

Amara hit him in the shoulder. "Don't you worry us like that again, Mister!"

"Sorry," Harold said.

"Where's Yugi?" Tristan asked.

Joey and Harold's heads lowered. "We don't know, we waited for him as long as we could but…"

Tea sunk to her knees.

Yami-Yugi and Odion exited from a cave. The sun had just finished its descent. "We made it," Yami-Yugi said relieved. He then saw the others. "And it looks like the others are all right."

"It's Yugi!" The others went over to him. "You all right, man?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, I am," Yami-Yugi confirmed. He cast a side glance at Tea. She advert her eyes. "What about all of you?"

"We all made it," Joey said. He then noticed the Millennium Scale that Yami-Yugi was carrying. "So that's one of those Millennium Items, huh?"

"It is. I now have five of the items and am one step closer to completing my destiny."

"And once you get all of them, then what?" Tristan asked.

"Hopefully, once all seven are gathered together, the past will finally be revealed."

"Well I have no idea what that means," Tristan said scratching his head. "But you can bet I'll be there backing you up, man."

"Same here," Harold said. He then saw Amara staring at the tip of her hair. "What's with you?"

"Checking to see how many gray hairs I have, seems like I've been getting quite a number of them hanging around with you guys."

The others chuckled.

Odion then made his presence known by walking up besides Yami-Yugi. Joey freaked, "It's you!"

"Oh great, it's Pseudo-Marik," Kaiba said sarcastically.

"You were my opponent during Battle City," Joey recognized. "Wait, I think your name was… Odion, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it is good to see you again, Mister Wheeler."

"Uh… same here, but just what are you doing here?"

"Odion came to retrieve the Millennium Scale for me," Yami-Yugi explained.

"You mean we didn't really have to do this?" Harold asked.

"One way or another, we had to do this, for Kevin's sake if not mine."

"So did you see Hinxton?" Kevin asked. "Did you duel him? Is that why you were so late?"

"Hinxton?" Yami-Yugi turned and stared at the ruined mansion. "No, just a specter of the past that needed to be brought down."

"Huh?" The others asked.

"I'll explain later." Yami-Yugi turned to Odion. "Odion, here." He handed the former Rare Hunter the Millennium Scale.

Odion was shocked and confused. "I don't understand, why are you giving this to me?"

"I would like you to keep this safe," Yami-Yugi said. "At least until I can join all seven of them."

"It is an honor to accept this momentous task, My Pharaoh," Odion said bowing.

"Not this stuff again," Kaiba groaned.

"You shut up," Amara hissed.

"I have something for you," Odion said taking out an envelope and handing it to Yami-Yugi.

"What is it?"

"When the time comes, you and Mister Kumara will know what to do with it."

"Wait, me too?"

"Yes, your Armlet is the key to unlock the chamber of the Pharaoh."

"And how will we know when the time has arrived?" Harold asked.

"The Pharaoh will know, he knows all." He bowed to the others. "Farewell, my friends, I hope… no, I know we will see each other again."

"Farewell, Odion, and thanks again for everything." And he turned and walked off.

"Guess that's my cue to skedaddle too," Faley said.

"Thanks for all your help, Faley," Harold said.

Faley tilted her head as she looked at Harold. She then went up to him and gave him a rather romantic kiss. Tristan's jaw dropped. "Thanks for the memories, sugar, we should get together sometime."

Harold was flustered. "But I mean… uh… er… wouldn't your w… I mean… aren't you taken?"

Faley burst into laughter. "That's what I love the most about you, sugar, your so impressionable. Tah-tah, kiddies." And she turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

Tristan whined, "How come Harold gets all the girls?"

"Man, I'll never understand women," Harold said scratching his head.

"Then we better give you a crash course before you get married," Amara said slapping him on the back.

"Huh? What? I'm getting married? Why? To who?" Harold's knees were wobbling.

"It better not be to Serenity," Tristan muttered under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Joey heard him and gave Tristan a palm slap to the back of the head.

"I guess I better get going too," Kevin said.

"Kevin, are you going to be all right?" Yami-Yugi asked.

Kevin nodded, "I finally know the truth behind my father's death, and now… I think I can move on."

"I'm sure your father would be proud of the person you had become, Kevin," Yami-Yugi said.

"Mai would too," Joey threw in.

"Thanks for your help, everyone," Kevin said. "For me and my father." He turned and walked away.

"I'm sure he's going to be all right," Joey said. Yami-Yugi nodded.

"Well I'm beat," Tristan said. "Let's head home."

"That's the first smart thing you ever said, Taylor," Kaiba said.

Everyone headed off but Tea hung back staring at the rising moon. _The Pharaoh is one step closer to finding his memories, but after that he'll be gone forever. I don't think anyone wants that to happen, especially not me. But… what if it was Yugi who was leaving and not the Pharaoh, would I feel just as bad? I don't… I can't…_

"Tea, are you coming?" Amara called back.

"Yeah, coming," she said and followed after her friends.

Doe was the only one left, having escaped with the help of Shaheen. She just watched as Yugi and his friends disappeared. After taking one last look at the ruined mansion, she too left.

* * *

Epilogue

Kevin Hunter ran up the steps to the apartment he shared with his cousin. The mail was piling up and Kevin knew he should probably sort it. Most of the mail was of course addressed to Mai. Kevin kicked off his shoes and carried the mail inside. Most of it was bills; there were also a few circulars and a letter from Rebecca. Suddenly a package fell out of the pile. It was small and rectangular, there was no return label, no post mark, not even a stamp. Curious, Kevin unwrapped the sky blue paper and opened the small box.

He gasped. Clutching the box, he dropped to his knees.

The End

* * *

Duel Monster Database

(1)  
Name: Kuriboh  
Level: 1  
Type: Fiend/Effect  
Attribute: Dark  
ATK: 300  
DEF: 200

* * *

A/N: And so ends the second of my three original Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar arcs. I would like to thank everyone who stuck around to read it. And next is the big one, the one story arc that had probably around 2.5 duels and lots of surprises. Expect more surprises as everything is revealed. Stay tuned for the next Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar story arc.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar

Secrets of the Puzzle


End file.
